m 


The 
King  of  Gee-Whiz 


The  King  of  Gee-Whiz 

By  Emerson  Hough 

Author  of  The  Mississippi  Bubble 
The  Law  of  the  Land,  etc. 


With  Lyrics  by 

Wilbur  D.  Nesbit 

Author  of  The  Trail  to  Boyland,  etc, 


Illustrated  by 

Oscar  E.  Cesare 


Indianapolis 

The  Bobbs-Merrill  Company 

Publishers 


Copyright  1906 
By  Emerson  Hough 


PRESS  OF 

BRAUNWORTH  &  CO. 

BOOKBINDERS  AND  PRINTERS 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  The  Widow  Pickle's  Twins  and 

Their  Peculiar  Hair  i 

II  The  Widow  Pickle's  Strange  Visitor  4 

III  The  Enchanted  Banjo       ...  9 

IV  The  Search  in  the  Cupboard     .  .  12 
V  The  Gee-Whiz  Submarine  Express  .  18 

VI  The  Journey  Through  the  Air  .  22 

VII  The  Journey  Through  the  Water  .  27 

VIII  The  Explosion  of  the  Submarine 

Express        .          .          .          .  •  37 

IX  The  Arrival  at  the  Island           .  .  41 

X  The  King  of  Gee-  Whiz  .          /  .  44 

XI  The  Royal  Hereditary  Twins   .  .  49 

XII  The  Gold  Waffle-Iron      .          .  .  -      57 

XIII  The  Fairy  Telephone       .         ..  .66 

XIV  Jankow  the  Dragon          €          .  0  72 
XV  The  Golden  Ladder  to  Fairy-Land  .  79 

XVI  The  King  and  the  Wicked  Fairy  .  85 

XVII  The  King  and  the  Rubber  Tree  .  92 

XVIII  The  King  Loses  His  Shadow    .  .  97 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XIX  Troubles  at  the  Royal  Palace    .          .      103 

XX  The  Disappearance  of  the  Royal  Twins      1 09 

XXI  The  Journey  to  Fairy-Land       .          .      114 

XXII  The  Bumblebee  Express  .          .          .120 

XXIII  To  the  Valley  of  the  Fairies      .          .127 

XXIV  The  Royal  and  Official  Council          .      131 
XXV  The  Fairy  City  of  Almalena     .          .141 

XXVI  The  Journey  to  Candy-Town   .                149 

XXVII  The  Valley  of  Gold          .          .          .163 

XXVIII  The  Mother  of  Gold        .          .          .173 

XXIX  The  Secret  Wish  of  the  Fairy  Queen      179 

XXX  The  Queen  Recovers  the  Shadow      .      184 

XXXI  The  Messengers  of  the  Fairy  Queen       1 9 1 

XXXII  The  Return  to  the  Island           .          .196 

XXXIII  The  Happy  Ending  of  the  Story        .     201 


The 
King  of  Gee- Whiz 


CHAPTER  I  V /•'•,•„•:•' 

THE  WIDOW  PICKLE'S  TWINS  AND  THEIR  PECULIAR  HAIR 

Once,  several  years  ago,  there  lived  in  a  city  far  from 
the  sea-shore  a  widow  by  the  name  of  Mrs.  Pickle,  who 
had  Twins  named  Zuzu  Pickle  and  Lulu  Pickle. 
At  first  glance,  these  Twins  seemed  much  like  ordinary 
twins  in  appearance.  Both  had  blue  eyes,  pretty  curved 
lips,  and  rosy  cheeks ;  and  as  they  were  quite  alike  in  size, 
it  may  seem  that,  like  many  other  twins,  they  must  have 
been  hard  to  tell  apart.  Such,  however,  was  not  the 
case.  Indeed,  they  could  not  well  be  confused  with  each 
other,  for,  aside  from  the  fact  that  Zuzu  was  a  boy  and 

i 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

Lulu  a  girl,  one  had  green  hair  and  the  other  blue.  This 
peculiar  color  of  their  hair  made  them  quite  different  from 
most  twins,  and  led  to  a  great  many  strange  circum 
stances,  some  of  which  are  described  in  this  story. 

The  father  of  these  Twins  was  Aurelius  Pickle,  an 
innocent  and  good  man,  who  for  many  years  was  known 
as  a  very  skilful  chemist.  Like  many  other  chemists, 
he  wasted  a  great  deal  of  time  in  doing  things  which  did 
not  bring  in  any  money.  For  instance,  he  worked  many 
years  on  a  compound  intended  to  change  a  person's  hair 
,  from,  ar-.y  color  to  a  rich,  dark  brown  or  to  a  deep  and 
'shining  auburn,  at  will.  Aurelius  Pickle  was  a  poor 
/-ikiri,;  £fxd, hence  did  not  have  the  means  for  his  researches 
that  he  desired.  He  often  told  his  wife  that  it  was  for 
tunate  they  had  Twins  with  such  long  hair,  for  thus  he 
could  make  all  the  experiments  for  the  Twofold-tint 
Compound,  which  was  what  he  intended  to  call  the  hair- 
coloring  fluid  on  which  he  was  working.  Whenever  he 
made  a  new  kettleful  of  this,  he  would  try  it  on  the  long 
rich  hair  of  the  Twins. 

At  last  he  hit  upon  two  new  mixtures,  one  or  the  other 
of  which  he  felt  sure  would  be  just  the  thing.  He  tried 
one  on  the  hair  of  Lulu  and  the  other  on  that  of  Zuzu. 
To  his  great  surprise,  the  hair  of  Zuzu  became  a  fine  pale 
green,  while  that  of  Lulu  turned  at  the  same  time  to  a 

2 


THE  WIDOW  PICKLE'S  TWINS 

pale  blue,  much  the  color  of  the  ribbons  around  the  neck 
of  a  new  baby. 

The  Twins,  seeing  themselves  in  the  glass,  were  much 
pleased  with  their  appearance,  and  said  they  felt  sure 
no  one  in  town  had  hair  like  theirs ;  which  in  all  likelihood 
was  true.  With  their  father,  however,  it  was  quite  other 
wise.  Indeed,  what  he  thought  was  never  fully  known. 
He  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  sank  back  upon  his 
couch,  where  he  rapidly  became  worse,  and  could  get  no 
further  than  to  ask  his  children  to  call  their  mother. 
Wher.  she  appeared,  Aurelius  Pickle  smiled  feebly  and 
motioned  her  toward  the  cupboard  where  he  kept  his 
Chemical  Substances.  He  could  do  no  more. 

This,  in  brief,  is  how  there  came  to  be  such  a  person 
as  the  Widow  Pickle.  It  is  not  unusual  for  widows  to 
have  Twins,  but  seldom  could  be  found  such  Twins  as 
these. 

Aireliu* 
Pickle 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  WIDOW  PICKLE'S  STRANGE  VISITOR 

So  badly  did  the  Widow  Pickle  feel  over  the  peculiar 
color  of  her  Twins'  hair  that  for  a  long  time  she  forgot  to 
obey  her  husband's  last  wish  and  look  in  the  cupboard. 
At  last,  however,  she  bethought  herself  of  this  request 
and  hastened  to  the  place  where  Aurelius  Pickle  had  kept 
his  Chemical  Substances. 

She  found  several  strange-looking  boxes,  With  all  sorts 
of  powders  and  pastes  in  them,  but  with  no  names  on 
the  backs  to  tell  what  were  their  contents.  She  feared 
to  make  any  experiments,  lest  she  might  stain  her 

4 


THE  WIDOW  PICKLE'S  STRANGE  VISITOR 

own  hair  either  blue  or  green  or  some  other  unfashionable 
color;  so  all  she  could  do  was  to  look  and  wonder  what 
was  in  the  boxes.  After  several  days,  she  concluded  to 
mix  some  different  powders  together.  She  took  one  small 
box  with  a  red  cover  and  another  that  had  a  black  cover, 
and,  pouring  small  portions  of  the  powder  from  each  of 
these  on  a  plate,  she  began  to  stir  the  two  together. 

Nothing  happened  for  some  moments.  "  Chemistry 
is  rather  hard,  after  all,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle  to  her 
self.  "I  thought  that  all  there  was  to  it  was  stirring 
things  together.  I  formerly  noticed  that  when  my  poor 
dear  husband  did  that,  something  nearly  always  hap 
pened." 

At  last,  disappointed  that  nothing  had  happened,  she 
went  to  the  match-box.  "  Perhaps,"  said  she,"  if  I  touch 
a  match  to  it  something  will  happen."  She  did  so,  and, 
to  her  great  surprise,  something  did  happen,  and  that 
at  once. 

A  cloud  of  heavy  vapor  filled  the  room,  and  as  it 
cleared  away  the  Widow  Pickle  saw  standing  there,  bow 
ing  and  smiling  very  pleasantly,  a  little  dark  man,  whom 
at  first  she  took  to  be  a  Japanese.  He  had  black  hair, 
rolled  very  tight  on  the  top  of  his  head;  small  feet, 
incased  in  boots  with  long  up-turned  toes;  and  a  loose 

5 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

flowing  mantle  of  red  satin.     His  hands  were  small,  and 
his  little  black  eyes  twinkled  merrily. 

11  Madam,  I  believe  you  have  sent  for  me,"  he  remarked. 

"Indeed,  I  did  not,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle.  "More 
over,  I  don't  know  who  you  are.  Whence  do  you  come, 
sir,  and  why  do  you  intrude  without  invitation?" 

"Who  should  I  be,"  said  the  little  man,  still  smiling 
pleasantly,  "but  the  Private  Secretary  and  Court  Musi 
cian  of  the  royal  monarch  of  the  Island,  the  King  of  Gee- 
Whiz?" 

"The  King  of  Gee- Whiz?"  said  the  Widow  Pickle. 
"I  never  heard  of  such  a  person." 

"Then,  madam,"  replied  the  little  man  sternly,  "grant 
me  leave  to  tell  you  that  you  must  be  an  extraordinarily 
ignorant  person.  Every  one  of  consequence  knows  of 
his  Royal  Highness,  who  rules  our  Island." 

"  And,  pray,  what  do  you  have  in  your  Island,  little 
man?"  asked  the  Widow  Pickle  scornfully. 

"Many  things,"  replied  the  strange  little  man,  "more 
than  I  should  like  to  tell  you  all  at  once." 

"Gold,  perhaps?"  asked  the  Widow. 

"I  believe  it  is  called  gold — a  very  common  metal, 
indeed." 

"Pray,  then,  what  do  you  use  for  rings?"  asked  the 
Widow,  hiding  her  hands  under  her  apron. 

6 


THE  WIDOW  PICKLE'S  STRANGE  VISITOR 

"  We  usually  make  them  out  of  our  smaller  diamonds,"" 
replied  the  little  man  carelessly.  "There  are,  however, 
more  precious  stones.  For  instance,  there  is  Lapis 
Malazite,  a  very  fashionable  blue  gem;  and  Lapis  Cora- 
zine,  an  emerald-green  jewel.  Blue  and  green,  madam, 
are  our  favorite  colors." 

"How  strange!"  exclaimed  the  Widow  Pickle.  And 
then  she  told  of  the  manner  in  which  the  hair  of  her 
Twins  had  been  permanently  colored  by  some  of  her  hus 
band's  Chemical  Substances. 

"That  is  very  singular,"  said  the  little  man.  "All  I 
can  say  is  that  if  their  hair  is  the  real  malazite  blue  and 
the  correct  corazine  green,  they  could  have  anything 
they  like  in  the  Land  of  Gee- Whiz;  for  these  are  the 
Royal  Hereditary  Colors.  But,  really,  I  must  be  going. 
I  rarely  ever  stay  away  more  than  an  hour  at  a  time." 

As  he  spoke,  he  stepped  toward  the  window,  but  in 
doing  so  he  gave  his  mantle  a  slight  twitch  to  one  side. 
As  he  did  this,  he  displayed  to  the  curious  gaze  of  the 
Widow  Pickle  a  strangely-carved  Banjo,  whose  supporting 
ribbon  was  swung  over  his  shoulders.  The  Banjo  was 
of  ivory  and  gold,  and  the  pegs  for  tightening  the  strings, 
were  of  shining  gold. 

7 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"Stay!"  cried  the  Widow.  "I  have  never  seen  so 
beautiful  an  instrument  as  that.  I  am  sure  you  play 
it  well;  and  as  for  me,  I  dote  upon  the  banjo." 

"Madam,"  smiled  the  little  man,  "I  see  your  taste  is 
excellent." 


8 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  ENCHANTED  BANJO 

The  Widow  Pickle  asked  the  stranger  to  allow  her  to 
examine  the  Banjo,  and  he  did  so  willingly.  About  this 
time,  the  Twins,  Lulu  and  Zuzu,  ran  into  the  room;  and 
very  soon  they  were  leaning  at  their  mother's  knee,  with 
their  chins  in  their  hands,  ready  to  listen  to  the  music. 
At  first,  the  stranger  did  not  look  at  them  intently,  but 
when  he  did  so  he  started  back  with  an  exclamation  of 
surprise.  At  that  moment,  also,  something  strange 
seemed  to  happen  in  the  Banjo.  The  Widow  Pickle 
looked  down  at  it  suddenly.  She  felt  the  strings  move 

9 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

beneath  her  fingers.  At  this,  she  arose  and  almost  flung 
the  instrument  upon  the  table.  To  her  great  surprise, 
it  began  playing  gaily  and  cheerfully,  just  as  well,  and, 
indeed,  perhaps  better,  than  it  would  have  done  had  it 
been  operated  by  the  Widow  Pickle  herself.  The  song 
which  the  Banjo  sang  was  something  like  this: 

MALAZITE  BLUE  AND  CORAZINE  GREEN 

O,  Malazite  Blue  and  Corazine  Green! 
Such  wonderful  colors  I  never  have  seen, 

Except,  in  the  sky 

At  a  million  miles  high 
Is  the  Malazite  Blue  for  delighting  the  eye. 

And  Corazine  Green  is  splendidly  fair 

When  tinting  the  ringlets  and  curls  of  your  hair — 

It  comes,  if  you  please, 

From  the  leaves  of  the  trees 
When  they  are  made  bright  by  the  brush  of  the  breeze. 

Oh,  barrels  and  barrels  of  Malazite  Blue, 
And  barrels  of  Corazine  Green,  it  is  true 

Are  used  every  year 

Just  to  keep  the  sky  clear 
And  to  tint  all  the  leaves  when  they  have  to  appear. 

"Well,  I  never  heard  anything  in  the  world  like  that," 
said  the  Widow  Pickle.  "An  Enchanted  Banjo,  that  can 
play  by  itself!  Surely,  this  house  is  haunted,  my  child- 

10 


THE  ENCHANTED  BANJO 

ren,  since  your  poor  father  died!  But  what  a  situation 
for  a  lone  widow  to  be  in  here  in  a  great  city,  with  blue- 
and  green-haired  Twins,  an  utter  stranger,  and  an  En 
chanted  Banjo,  which  plays  by  itself,  and  sings  about 
the  peculiar  hair  of  my  dear  Twins!  I  always  said 
that  your  poor  dear  father,  although  good,  was  not  a 
practical  man." 

She  looked  at  the  Banjo  as  it  lay  upon  the  table.  To 
her  great  surprise,  she  saw  it  take  itself  apart  before 
her  eyes.  It  lay  there  in  two  pieces,  the  neck  quite  apart 
from  the  head.  Of  course,  in  that  position  it  ceased  play 
ing,  and,  indeed,  one  could  have  expected  nothing  else, 
for  even  an  Enchanted  Banjo  can  not  play  when  it  is  in 
two  pieces. 


ii 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  SEARCH  IN  THE  CUPBOARD 

Now,  presently,  a  very  strange  thing  happened.  The 
Twins,  Lulu  and  Zuzu,  stood  at  the  edge  of  the  table 
grieving  very  much  that  the  Banjo  was  broken.  Each 
put  out  a  hand,  Lulu  touching  the  neck  of  the  instru 
ment,  where,  in  her  opinion,  the  music  was,  and  Zuzu 
the  round  part  or  head,  where  he  thought  that  the  music 
was  situated.  To  their  great  surprise,  as  they  did  this 
the  Banjo  again  began  to  play,  the  two  parts  joining 
themselves  together  as  good  as  new.  So  long  as  they 
held  it  in  this  way,  it  played  the  most  beautiful  and 

12 


THE  SEARCH  IN  THE  CUPBOARD 

wonderful  music.  Stranger  still,  after  it  had  finished 
playing,  it  began  also  to  talk. 

"  I  am  the  Enchanted  Banjo  of  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz," 
it  said  in  a  small,  distinct,  and  quite  unmistakable 
voice.  "I  only  take  myself  apart  to  rest  myself;  but 
if  you  put  me  together  again,  of  course  I  feel  obliged 
to  play  for  you,  as  that  is  only  common  politeness  on  my 
part." 

"Is  that  indeed  the  truth,  sir?"  asked  the  Widow 
Pickle  of  the  little  dark  man. 

"  It  is,"  said  he;  "  and  I  myself  am  the  Court  Musician, 
as  I  have  said.  It  is  my  duty  to  furnish  music  for  the 
King  every  day  at  half-past  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  I 
find  a  self-playing  instrument  a  great  convenience.  Now, 
I  am  sorry  to  disturb  you,  but,  by  the  way,  it  is  nearly 
time  for  us  to  be  returning." 

"Excuse  me,  my  children,"  remarked  the  Enchanted 
Banjo,  "but  you  are  holding  my  neck  very  tight." 

At  this,  Lulu  and  Zuzu  released  their  hold,  and  with  a 
sigh  of  relief  the  Banjo  again  lay  in  two  pieces  on  the 
table. 

"Now,  children,  see  what  you  have  done!"  exclaimed 
the  Widow  Pickle.  "The  Banjo  is  broken  again." 

"Never  mind,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "it  will 
always  play  when  the  two  hold  it  together.  Besides, 

13 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

it  can  not  resist  the  Royal  Hereditary  Colors,  madam,  for 
these  are  very  powerful  in  our  Island." 

"In  truth,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "I  am  of  a  mind 
myself  to  go  to  this  wonderful  place  of  which  you  talk. 
I  would  like  to  seek  my  fortune  and  that  of  my  Twins. 
Have  you  credibly  informed  me  that  Twins  with  malazite- 
and  corazine-colored  hair  would  have  a  good  chance  in 
that  country?" 

"  I  have  told  you  the  truth,"  said  the  little  dark  man; 
"  but  I  must  say  it  is  very  far  from  here  to  the  Island  of 
Gee- Whiz,  some  hundreds  of  thousands  of  miles  across 
the  seas." 

"Then,  sir,  how  did  you  come  here  yourself?" 

"  I  came  by  the  Gee- Whiz  Submarine  Express,"  replied 
the  Private  Secretary.  "  How  else  should  I  come? " 

"  Alas!  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  said  the  Widow 
Pickle  at  this. 

"Not  know,  madam?  Why,  you  have  all  the  means 
for  summoning  the  Submarine  Express  directly  at  your 
command." 

"Where?  where?"  asked  the  Widow  excitedly. 

The  little  man  pointed  at  the  cupboard  where  the  late 
Aurelius  Pickle  had  been  accustomed  to  keep  his  Chem 
ical  Substances. 

14 


THE  SEARCH  IN  THE  CUPBOARD 

"Why,  to  be  sure,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "it  must 
be  in  the  cupboard,  for  it  was  there  I  found  the  two 
strange  powders  which  went  off  with  a  flash." 

By  this  time,  the  Twins  were  dancing  around  the  room 
in  excitement,  running  toward  the  cupboard,  which  had 
never  seemed  so  full  of  interest  before,  even  in  their 
hungriest  moments. 

"  Are  you  ready  for  your  journey,  madam? "  asked  the 
Private  Secretary. 

"  I  declare,  I've  more  than  half  a  mind  to  learn  what  all 
this  means,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle. 

"Get  us  ready  for  the  journey,  mamma,"  cried  the 
Twins,  as  though  it  were  all  settled. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Widow,  "  we  may  as  well  be  pre 
pared  for  anything  that  may  happen.  First  let  me  comb 
your  Royal  Hereditary  Hair.  Lulu,  go  fetch  me  the  blue 
comb,  and  you,  Zuzu,  get  the  pale-green  one,  on  top  of 
the  dresser,  at  the  right  hand  as  you  go  in.  I  can 
not  help  feeling, ' '  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  as  she  combed 
the  long,  wavy  hair  of  her  two  children,  "as  though 
something  was  going  to  happen." 

At  that  moment  the  Enchanted  Banjo,  held  once  more 
by  the  joyful  Twins,  began  this  remarkable  song: 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 
SOMETHING'S  GOING  TO  HAPPEN 

Such  a  squidgy  feeling  in  my  bones! 

Such  a  tingling  tangling  of  my  hair! 
Something  whispers  now  in  warning  tones 

That  it  will  be  best  if  I  take  care. 
I  keep  looking  out  on  either  side, 

Watching  for  just  what  I  do  not  know — 
Will  it  sit,  or  stand,  or  walk,  or  ride  ? 

Wonder  will  it  come,  or  will  it  go? 

Something's  sure  to  happen — 

Oh,  what  can  it  be? 
Something,   something,   something 

Keeps  on  warning  me. 
I  shiver  and  I  quiver, 

I  tremble  and  I  bow — 
Something's  sure  to  happen ! 

When?     And  where?    And  how? 

Don't  know  how  I  know  it !     But  I  know 

By  the  creepy  feeling  of  my  skin, 
By  my  eyes  that  keep  on  winking  so, 

By  the  shaky  shiver  of  my  chin. 
Something  tells  me  to  be  looking  out; 

Something  will  not  tell  me  what  to  do — 
Something's  sure  to  happen;   there's  no  doubt! 

Wonder  will  it  be  to  me,  or  you? 

Something's  sure  to  happen — 

Oh,  what  will  it  be? 
Something,  something,   something 

Keeps  on  warning  me. 

16 


She  found  several  strange-looking  boxes        Page  4 


THE  SEARCH  IN  THE  CUPBOARD 

I  quiver  and  I  shiver, 

I  shake  and  shake  again — 
Something's  sure  to  happen! 

What?    And  how?    And  when? 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  GEE-WHIZ  SUBMARINE  EXPRESS 

The  Widow  Pickle  kept  studying  over  matters  and 
things  as  she  combed  the  Twins'  hair  with  the  blue  and 
green  combs.  She  began  to  think,  as  a  great  many 
widows  do,  that  after  all  her  husband  had  perhaps  been 
a  very  wonderful  man,  and  better  than  she  had  thought 
at  the  time.  She  wished  very  much,  as  many  widows  do, 
that  her  husband  were  alive  again  for  a  few  moments. 
She  wished  to  ask  him  just  one  more  question.  We 
need  not  explain  what  that  question  would  have  been,  for 
any  one  could  guess  that  it  would  have  been  in  regard 
to  Chemical  Substances. 

18 


THE  GEE-WHIZ  SUBMARINE  EXPRESS 

At  last,  she  arose  and  went  to  the  glass  door  of  the 
cupboard  and  began  looking  carefully  behind  the  dishes 
on  the  shelves.  At  length  she  saw  a  little  box,  which 
she  had  not  noticed  before. 

"Aha!"  cried  the  Widow  Pickle,  "I  am  sure  this  is 
the  powder  which  you  mean.  Is  it  not  so,  little  man?" 

The  latter  refused  either  to  speak  or  to  make  any  sign. 

"I  will  try  it,  anyhow,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle.  So 
she  poured  some  of  the  powder  from  this  box  upon  a  plate 
and  began  touching  a  lighted  match  to  it.  To  her  great 
surprise,  the  powder  burst  out  into  a  cloud  of  smoke, 
and  when  the  smoke  had  cleared  away,  she  saw,  lying 
upon  the  plate,  a  small  but  perfect  little  ship,  the  like  of 
which  she  had  never  seen  before  in  all  her  life.  It  was 
something  like  a  steamboat,  except  that  it  was  covered 
over  entirely  with  glass.  At  the  stern  it  had  a  large 
wheel,  evidently  to  make  it  go,  and  it  had  other  wheels 
along  the  bottom,  like  feet  upon  a  sofa.  Its  bow  was 
curved  up  and  backward  sharply,  something  like  the 
front  of  a  sled,  and  its  sides  were  gently  rounded  so  that 
it  could  slip  along  easily.  The  deck  was  quite  roofed 
over  by  this  curved-glass  shield,  for  what  reason  the 
Widow  could  not  tell.  Indeed,  although  she  guessed 
at  once  that  this  was  a  boat  of  some  sort,  she  could  not 
tell  what  sort  it  was. 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

"Well,  I'd  like  to  know—"  began  the  Widow  Pickle. 

"What  was  it  you  were  about  to  inquire,  my  good 
woman?"  asked  the  Private  Secretary. 

"Why,  what  should  I  inquire,  my  good  man,"  replied 
the  Widow,  "  if  not  to  ask  what  is  this  thing  here  on  the 
plate?" 

"That,  madam,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "is  a 
boat." 

"A  boat?    A  boat?" 

The  Private  Secretary  nodded. 

"Can't  you  read  the  name?"  he  asked. 

So  the  Widow  Pickle  peered  closely  through  her  glasses 
and  saw  that  there  was  a  name  printed  in  small  shining 
letters  on  one  end  of  the  boat.  "The  Gee- Whiz  Sub 
marine  Express!"  cried  the  Widow.  "But,  alack!  how 
small  it  is.  Why,  it  is  not  as  long  as  my  foot,  and  I  was 
always  thought  in  my  time  to  have  a  very  small  foot, 
too!" 

The  Private  Secretary  smiled  in  a  knowing  manner. 

"Perhaps,  mamma,"  said  Zuzu,  "you  have  overlooked 
something  in  some  other  box." 

"Zuzu,  you  have  a  good  mind  for  one  so  young," 
said  his  mother.  "I  will  look  in  the  cupboard  again." 
So  again  she  began  rummaging  around,  and  at  length 
she  found  another  box,  a  square  one,  covered  over  with 

20 


THE  GEE- WHIZ  SUBMARINE  EXPRESS 

dust,  showing  that  it  had  not  been  opened  for  a  long 
time.  The  first  box  had  held  a  pale-blue  powder,  but 
this  one  was  filled  nearly  to  the  lid  with  a  light-green 
powder.  On  the  top  of  this  box,  written  in  the  hand  of 
Aurelius  Pickle,  was  the  inscription,  "  Magic  Powder 
of  Gee- Whiz."  When  the  Widow  Pickle  saw  this,  she 
gave  an  exclamation  of  joy. 


21 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  AIR 

"Hurry,  hurry,  mamma!"  cried  the  Twins.  "Let 
us  go." 

"But  how  can  we  go?"  asked  the  Widow  Pickle  of 
the  Private  Secretary,  as  she  stood  holding  the  second 
box  of  powder  in  her  hand. 

" I  suggest,  madam,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "that 
you  might  put  a  little  of  the  first  powder,  the  blue  one, 
in  the  engine." 

The  Widow  Pickle  placed  a  pinch  of  the  pale-blue 
powder  upon  a  certain  portion  of  the  little  boat,  and,  to 
her  great  surprise,  it  began  to  grow  before  her  eyes. 

22 


THE  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  AIR 

It  grew  and  it  grew,  slowly  but  steadily,  until  it  was 
large  enough  for  either  of  the  Twins  to  get  into.  In  a 
moment  more  it  would  have  been  too  large  to  pass  out 
of  the  window;  and  as  the  Widow  Pickle  saw  this,  she 
was  about  to  brush  off  the  rest  of  the  powder. 

" Stop!" "cried  the  Private  Secretary.  "The  window 
will  not  make  the  slightest  difference  in  the  world. 
Quick,  madam!  Get  in  with  the  second  box,  or  it  will 
be  too  late." 

Indeed,  the  engine  inside  the  boat  now  began  to  churn, 
and  a  strange,  brilliant  sort  of  blue  smoke  began  to  hiss 
at  the  spouts  near  the  wheel.  The  boat,  for  such  it  can 
be  called,  began  to  crawl  on  its  feet  across  the  floor 
toward  the  window.  The  Private  Secretary  grasped 
the  Enchanted  Banjo  and  with  a  bound  sprang  into  the 
boat.  The  Widow,  holding  on  to  the  remaining  box  of 
powder,  and  grasping  the  Twins  also  with  the  other 
hand,  sprang  aboard  quickly.  The  Private  Secretary 
then  snapped  down  the  glass  all  around. 

To  her  great  surprise, the  Widow  Pickle  found  the  boat 
quite  large  enough  for  all  four  of  them,  and  even  as  she 
settled  down  comfortably  in  her  seat  the  boat  rose  slowly 
and,  with  a  slight  hissing  of  the  strange  blue  steam  at 
the  wheel,  it  passed  directly  out  and  through  the  window, 
just  as  though  it  were  not  there,  and  sailed  off  across  the 
tops  of  the  tall  buildings  toward  the  sea. 

23 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"Oh,  Mr.  Secretary,"  cried  the  Widow  Pickle,  "how 
very  much  startled  I  am!" 

"Madam,"  replied  the  Private  Secretary,  "there  is  no 
need  to  be  startled.  It  is  very  well,  however,  that  you 
got  the  second  box  from  among  the  Chemical  Substances 
of  the  late  Aurelius  Pickle." 

"Why  should  that  be  so?"  asked  the  Widow.  "You 
must  remember  that  I  am  in  the  dark  about  many  of 
these  things.  It  seems  very  strange  to  me  to  be  thus 
flying  off  across  the  city.  For  all  we  know,  we  may  drop 
directly  into  the  sea  before  long." 

"That  is  true,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  chuckling. 
^'In  fact,  that  is  precisely  what  we  shall  do  within  two 
minutes.  And  that  is  the  reason  I  am  glad  you  have 
the  green  powder  with  you.  That,  you  must  understand, 
is  our  fuel  for  water  travel ;  for  without  that  we  could  not 
possibly  get  up  any  green  steam,  and  surely  you  must 
know  that  with  a  boat  of  this  particular  kind,  blue  steam 
may  be  all  very  well  for  the  air,  but  it  is  of  no  service 
whatever  under  the  water." 

"  That,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "seems  a  most  singular 
thing." 

"Many  things  which  now  seem  strange  to  you,"  re 
plied  the  Private  Secretary,  "will  presently  seem  quite 
natural.  You  must  remember  to  put  a  little  of  the  green 

24 


THE  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  AIR 

powder  under  the  boiler  the  moment  we  strike  the  water ; 
but  whatever  you  do,  you  must  not  put  the  green  pow 
der  in  before  we  reach  the  water." 

"Why,  what  will  happen  then?"  asked  Zuzu. 

"You  would  better  not  try  to  find  out,'*  said  the 
Private  Secretary,  smiling.  "  But  now,  madam,  first 
put  in  a  little  more  of  the  blue  powder.  I  see  we  are 
passing  near  the  moon,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  the  face  of 
the  moon  is  unusually  clean  to-night.  I  see  that  little 
Lucy  Green  has  been  at  work.  You  do  not  know  how 
that  can  be?  Perhaps  the  Enchanted  Banjo  will  tell 
you.  Put  it  together,  my  dears,  and  see  if  it  will  not." 

So  Lulu  and  Zuzu  held  the  Banjo  as  before,  and  to 
their  great  surprise  it  told  them  how  the  moon  had 
its  face  cleaned. 

LITTLE  LUCY  GREEN 

Oh,  have  you  never  heard  the  reason  why  the  moon  is  clean? 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  girl  whose  name  was  Lucy  Green ; 

She  saw  the  moon  was  dirty  and  was  very  far  from  bright, 

She  raised  her  hands  in  horror,  and  exclaimed:  "My,  what  a  sight!" 

And  then  she  got  some  polish,  and  a  ladder,  and  she  climbed 

Till  she  reached  the  moon  that  drifted,  spotted,  dusty,  and  begrimed. 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 


UP! 
clum* 


she 


and 


dim' 


she 


Oh, 


Then  she  scoured  the  moon  with  polish  and  she  cleaned  it  of  its  rust, 
And  she  took  a  cloth  and  rubbed  it  till  it  hadn't  any  dust; 
And  the  good  old  moon  grew  happy  when  its  face  began  to  shine 
And  the  little  girl  was  merry,  and  she  said:   "Now,  you  look  fine!" 
Then  she  took  her  can  of  polish,  and  her  cloth,  and  then  she  found 
That  the  moonbeams  made  her  ladder  seem  like  gold  from  sky  to 
ground. 


Oh, 


she 


clim' 


and 


she 


clum' 

DOWN! 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  WATER 

"  Now  we  will  drop  down  from  the  sky  a  way,'*  said  the 
little  dark  man,  "  and  I  hope  soon  to  show  you  some 
other  interesting  things.  But,  madam,  you  must  be 
ready  to  throw  the  green  powder  into  the  engine  the 
moment  I  tell  you  to  do  so." 

Even  as  he  spoke,  the  boat  began  to  descend,  and  now 
struck  the  water  with  a  soft  splash.  "  Quick!  the  green 
powder  now!"  cried  the  little  dark  man.  At  that 
instant,  the  Widow  Pickle  tossed  a  pinch  of  the  green 
powder  into  the  furnace  door,  and,  to  her  great  surprise, 

27 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

the  little  ship  settled  down  gently,  the  steam  changed 
from  blue  to  green  in  color,  and  the  wheels  began  to  turn 
around  with  a  motion  which  sent  the  boat  forward 
very  quickly. 

"Mamma,  mamma/'  cried  Zuzu,  "we  are  sinking! 
Look!  We  are  going  down!" 

Lulu  also  was  very  much  excited,  but  the  Private 
Secretary  smilingly  reassured  them. 

"Of  course,"  he  said.  "Did  you  suppose  the  Gee- 
Whiz  Express  would  run  upon  the  top  of  the  water  like 
any  ordinary  steamboat?  Any  one  can  build  a  boat 
like  that.0 

"But  we'll  all  be  drowned,"  cried  the  Widow  Pickle. 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  said  the  Private  Secretary.  .  "  We 
are  five  hundred  feet  beneath  the  surface  of  the  sea  at 
this  present  moment,  and  if  we  were  going  to  be  drowned 
we  should  have  begun  to  feel  strange  long  ago.  i  Evi 
dently,  madam,  you  forgot  the  glass  which  covers  us  over. 
We  can  see  through  it  distinctly,  but  it  won't  let  any 
water  in.  I  am  sure  we  shall  enjoy  our  voyage  very 
much.  Moreover,  we  have  with  us  the  Enchanted  Banjo, 
and  it  will  play  for  us  whenever  the  Royal  Heirs  are  so 
good  as  to  assist  it." 

The  Banjo  seemed  to  be  in  a  jolly  mood  as  well  as  the 
Royal  Heirs,  for  as  soon  as  the  Twins  grasped  it 
together  it  rattled  off  at  once  into  the  following  jingle: 

28 


THE  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  WATER 
SONG  OF  THE  ENCHANTED  BANJO 

Once  I  was  but  a  banjo  of  the  ordinary  sort 
Until  a  minstrel  played  me  for  the  pleasure  of  the  court, 
And  quite  by  accident  he  struck  the  sweet  and  simple  tune 
The  Fairies  love  the  dearest  when  they  dance  beneath  the  moon. 
Oh,  it  was  most  amazing,  when  to  every  one's  surprise 
The  Queen  of  all  the  Fairies  came  to  view  before  their  eyes ! 

They  gazed  upon  the  Fairy  Queen,  and  she  smiled  back  at  them 
She  wore  a  robe  of  woven  gold,  with  silver  on  the  hem, 
Her  wings  were  set  with  diamonds  and  made  of  golden  gauze, 
And  she  was  quite  the  finest  Fairy  Queen  that  ever  was. 
She  stopped  before  the  royal  court  and  held  her  place  alone, 
Then  bowed  and  gracefully  sat  down  before  the  Royal  Throne. 

The  Fairy  Queen  then  waved  her  wand ;  the  minstrel  stepped 

away, 

And  I,  suspended  in  the  air,  at  once  began  to  play; 
I  played  them  all  the  Fairy  tunes  that  ever  have  been  made, 
And  everybody  knew  the  words  to  everything  I  played. 
I  played  before  the  Fairy  Queen,  and  did  my  best,  you  see — 
And  therefore  I  enchanted  her,  then  she  enchanted  me. 

"Now  let's  play  we  are  pirates!"  cried  Zuzu. 

' '  Very  well, ' '  said  the  Private  Secretary.  ' '  The  Banjo 
knows  that  a  great  many  people  feel  like  playing  pirate, 
so  perhaps  it  will  sing  of  one  or  two."  The  Banjo  then 
played  for  them  the  following  melody: 

29 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 
THE  PIRATICAL  JUNE-BUG 

A  June-bug  once  went  out  to  sea — 

Yo-ho,  my  lads,  yo-ho! — 
With  sails  aspread  and  helm  alee — 

Yo-ho,  my  lads,  yo-ho! 
He  had  a  long,  low,  rakish  boat; 
He  wore  a  shining  overcoat ; 
He  hummed  and  grumbled  in  his  throat— 

Yo-ho!    the  wild  winds  blow! 

This  bold  June-bug  he  said,  said  he: — 

"Yo-ho,  my  lads,  yo-ho! 
A  pirate's  life  is  the  life  for  me! 

Yo-ho,  my  lads,  yo-ho!" 
He  roamed  about  the  ocean  blue 
And  bossed  his  rumbling,  stumbling  crew, 
And  sought  for  wicked  things  to  do. 

Yo-ho,  the  wild  winds  blow! 

Now  when  a  June-bug  heaves  in  sight — 

Yo-ho,  my  lads,  yo-ho! 
You'll  notice  it  is  full  of  fight — 

Yo-ho,  my  lads,  yo-ho! 
When  it  sails  by,  with  curve  and  dip, 
And  strikes  the  wall  with  bang  and  "bip!" 
It's  dreaming  of  its  pirate  ship — 

Yo-ho,  the  wild  winds  blow! 
Yo-ho! 

Yo-ho,  my  lads,  yo-ho! 

30 


THE  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  WATER 

The  submarine  boat  went  ahead  very  rapidly  all  this 
time,  dropping  down  until  at  length  it  struck  the  bottom 
at  a  depth  of  several  thousand  feet.  Fortunately,  it 
landed  at  a  place  where  there  was  smooth,  white  sand' 
so  that  no  damage  was  done;  and  it  at  once  began  to 
run  along  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 

"  I  would  rather  go  on  through  the  water  the  way  we 
were,"  said  Lulu,  "and  not  on  the  bottom,  for  I  find  it 
much  more  bumpy  in  this  way." 

"True,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "but  by  journeying 
upon  the  bottom  we  are  not  so  apt  to  get  lost  as  though 
we  tried  to  go  directly  through  the  water.  If  you  will 
observe,  we  are  now  following  the  main  traveled  road 
to  the  Island  of  Gee- Whiz,  and  if  all  goes  well  we  shall 
hardly  lose  our  way.  I  need  not  explain  to  you  that  to 
be  lost  in  the  middle  of  the  ocean,  two  or  three  thousand 
feet  below  the  surface,  is  one  of  the  worst  things  that  can 
happen  to  a  person.  But  don't  think  we  are  going 
slowly,  because  we  are  making  at  least  a  hundred  miles 
an  hour,  as  you  may  tell  by  looking  at  the  scenery  we 
pass." 

"And  very  beautiful  the  scenery  is,"  said  the  Widow 
Pickle.  "Look,  my  children,  at  the  trees  and  the  hills; 
and  yonder  is  a  high  mountain  all  of  coral,  if  I  am  not 
mistaken." 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"  Quite  right, ' '  said  the  Private  Secretary.  "  This  is  one 
of  the  best  places  in  the  world  for  coral  beads,  and  if 
we  had  time  we  could  get  all  we  wished." 

"Look,  look,  mamma!"  cried  Lulu,  " isn't  that  a 
whale?" 

The  Widow  Pickle  stopped  to  put  on  her  glasses,  and 
the  Private  Secretary  answered  for  her.  "  Yes,"  said  he, 
"that  is  a  whale,  and  a  very  good  one.  See,  it  means 
to  swim  us  a  race." 

The  great  whale  was  now  swimming  alongside,  its  vast 
jaws  working  convulsively,  and  its  tail  in  such  rapid 
motion  that  long  white  sparks  flew  from  its  extremity, 

"  Poor  fellow,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "he  thinks-, 
as  you  do,  that  we  are  not  going  very  fast.  See  him 
perspire!  I  can  tell  him  now  that  he  might  as  well 
drop  behind,  for  the  Gee- Whiz  Submarine  Express  is 
much  the  fastest  thing  that  swims  the  deep." 

"But  what  is  that  out  there,  mamma?"  cried  Zuzu, 
whose  nose  was  pressed  flat  against  the  glass. 

"That,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "is  something  so 
strange  that  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea  what  it  may  be. ' ' 

"It  is  a  Flying  Nautilus,"  explained  the  Private  Sec 
retary,  "a  very  beautiful  creature,  which  has  wings  like 
sails,  but  it  can  not  sail  with  us ;  and  yonder,  I  see,  is 
a  Goroo;  but  even  the  Goroo  will  find  that  we  go  too 
fast  for  it." 

32 


THE  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  WATER 

The  Goroo  now  swam  alongside  for  some  time.  It 
was  a  long,  slender  monster,  with  a  body  something  like 
that  of  a  snake  and  a  long,  tapering  head,  from  which 
two  horns  arose  and  fell  back  gracefully  over  its  shoulders. 
Its  eyes  were  very  large  and  prominent,  and  it  had  four 
or  five  fierce  whiskers  on  each  side  of  its  mouth,  all  of 
which  were  bright  pink  in  color.  It  had  twelve  fins 
along  its  back,  which  enabled  it  to  swim  very  rapidly 
indeed. 

"  The  Goroo,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "  is  often  by 
mortals  called  a  sea-serpent,  and  this  fact  causes  us  who 
live  in  Gee- Whiz  considerable  amusement,  because  we 
know  that  it  is  not  a  sea-serpent,  but  a  Goroo.  It  would 
eat  a  man  if  it  had  a  chance,  but  it  can  not  harm  us  so- 
long  as  we  are  in  the  boat. 

"See, "he  continued,  "that  short  fat-looking  animal 
we  have  just  passed  is  a  Calabite,  a  very  rare  and  odd 
fish,  which  lives  entirely  upon  fresh  oysters.  It  cracks 
the  oyster  shells  with  its  long  teeth,  just  as  you  do  hazel- 
nuts,  and  it  eats  so  many  that  often  fishermen  wonder 
where  all  their  oysters  have  gone.  If  the  truth  were 
known,  it  would  very  probably  be  found  a  Calabite  had 
eaten  them. 

"That  large  creature  with  a  long  mane  and  six  legs 
on  each  side,"  he  resumed,  "is  a  Talapud,  a  creature 

33 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

never  seen  in  any  menagerie,  so  far  as  I  know.  It  can 
travel  very  fast  indeed,  but  though  it  has  six  legs  on  each 
side,  it  is  very  lazy,  so  that  it  rarely  exerts  its  full  speed. 
We  shall,  no  doubt,  pass  it  easily. 

"There,  also,  is  a  Naugalook,  that  bird-like  thing, 
which  also  swims  with  wings  instead  of  fins.  As  you  see, 
it  has  a  very  wide  and  cruel  beak,  and  many  a  fish 
it  eats  each  year.  It  is  the  eagle  of  the  sea,  and  very 
dangerous  to  meet  unarmed,  on  account  of  its  great  size 
and  ferocity. 

"The  Waugog,  as  you  may  observe,  is  a  sort  of  turtle. 
There  are  two  just  coming  out  of  their  holes;  stupid 
things,  who  think  of  nothing  but  eating,  and  can  travel 
scarcely  faster  than  a  turtle  upon  the  land.  A  full- 
grown  Waugog  is  as  large  as  a  church,  and  should  we  run 
against  one  at  full  speed,  it  would  jar  the  boat  very  much. 
You  will  see,  madam,  that  travel  underneath  the  sea 
is  not  without  interest." 

"I  should  say  not,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle;  " quite 
the  opposite,  indeed,  and  I  am  very  glad  to  have  my 
children  thus  improve  their  education." 

"There  is  one  thing  I  should  like  to  ask,"  said  Zuzu, 
4 'and  I  have  often  wondered  about  it." 

"And  what  is  that?"  asked  the  Private  Secretary. 

"I  wonder  how  the  fishes  ever  go  to  sleep." 

34 


"She  scoured  the  moon  with  polish"     Page  26 


THE  JOURNEY  THROUGH  THE  WATER 

"That,"  replied  the  Private  Secretary,  "is  something 
over  which  many  wise  men  have  also  wondered.  I  have 
often  heard  the  Banjo  on  our  sea  journeys  express  the 
same  curiosity.  Perhaps  it  will  tell  us  about  that." 

At  his  suggestion  the  Banjo  sang  a  little  song. 


HOW  THE  LITTLE  FISHES  SLEEP 

I  often  wonder  how  and  where 

The  little  fishes  sleep; 
They  do  not  need  to  braid  their  hair 

Before  they  slumber  deep, 
But  possibly  each  little  fish 

Puts  on  a  little  gown 
And  goes  to  bed — and  Oh,  I  wish 

I  knew  where  it  lies  down. 

I  wonder  if  it  tumbles  round 

And  kicks  the  covers  off 
And  wakes  at  every  little  sound, 

Or — does  it  have  a  cough? 
I  think  it  would,  for  mamma  says, 

When  she  turns  down  my  lamp 
I'll  get  the  croup  one  of  these  days 

From  staying  in  the  damp. 

But  maybe  little  fishes  go 

To  sleep  as  you  or  I ; 
Waves  rock  the  cradle  to  and  fro 

And  sing  a  bye-lo-bye. 
If  they  wear  gowns,  though — goodness  me! 

When  washing-day  is  here 
Where  do  they  dry  things  in  the  sea? 

I  wish  you'd  make  that  clear! 

35 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

"  Humph!  The  Banjo  doesn't  seem  to  know  any  more 
about  it  than  we  do,"  said  Zuzu,  not  fully  satisfied. 

"No,"  the  Private  Secretary  replied;  "that  is  true; 
but  for  some  of  these  hard  questions  we  may  have  to 
go  to  the  Fairies  for  answer,  and  it  is  some  distance  yet 
before  we  get  anywhere  near  the  Fairy  country." 

"How  far  have  we  gone  now,  sir?"  asked  Zuzu. 

"That,"  replied  the  Private  Secretary,  "is  difficult  to 
explain,  for  you  must  see  that  we  do  not  measure  dis 
tances  as  you  do.  However,  I  should  think  it  would 
take  us  perhaps  three  or  four  more  of  what  you  call  your 
hours  before  we  are  within  sight  of  the  Island  of  Gee- 
Whiz.  We  must  first  pass  the  Agalone  Mountains. 
Indeed,  it  seems  to  me  that  I  see  that  mountain  range 
now  beginning  to  appear  before  us." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  EXPLOSION  OF  THE  SUBMARINE  EXPRESS 

"  We  must  be  sure  to  strike  the  right  road  through  the 
Agalone  Mountains,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  peering 
out  through  the  glass,  "  because  a  great  many  boats  get 
lost  hereabouts  in  the  long  and  winding  path.  Even 
were  it  possible  for  any  mortal  to  get  thus  far  toward 
our  country,  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  trace  the  way 
through  the  Agalone  Mountains,  which  are  very  high 
and  precipitous  indeed.  Moreover,  to  render  the  road 
even  more  difficult  to  follow,  we  occasionally  have  these 
mountains  moved  a  few  hundred  leagues  from  side  to 

37 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

side,  so  that  not  even  the  boldest  mariner  from  your 
country  could  tell  a  thing  about  it  if  he  tried  to  follow 
us." 

"  It  is  a  wonder  to  me  that  no  one  has  ever  found  this 
Island  of  Gee- Whiz,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle. 

"Believe  me,  madam,  it  is  practically  impossible/' 
replied  the  Private  Secretary.  "Many  have  sought  to 
discover  the  Island  of  Gee- Whiz  on  account  of  its  great 
riches,  but  no  one  has  ever  yet  done  so.  Were  it  not  for 
the  fact  that  these  Twins,  the  Prince  and  Princess, 
have  corazine  and  malazite  hair,  it  is  scarcely  likely  that 
you  yourself  would  ever  have  seen  our  Island. 

"But  now,"  he  resumed,  "it  is  nearly  time  I  should 
go  aloft  and  look  ahead.  To  me  it  seems  that  these 
mountains  do  not  look  so  entirely  familiar  as  they 
should." 

"Go  aloft?"  inquired  the  Widow.  "How  can  you 
go  aloft?  Do  you  mean  to  the  surface  of  the  sea?" 

"Of  course,"  said  the  Private  Secretary.  "I  can  see 
the  Island  at  a  much  greater  distance  from  the  surface 
of  the  sea.  As  for  going  aloft,  that  is  perfectly  simple. 
I  set  this  pole  in  the  holes  which  run  up  and  down  through 
the  top  and  bottom  of  the  boat,  like  the  place  for  a  mast 
in  a  sail-boat,  and  I  then  attach  the  clutches  of  this 
machine  here  to  the  pole  and  set  the  engine  going  up  and 

38 


THE  EXPLOSION  OF  THE  SUBMARINE  EXPRESS 

down  instead  of  backward  and  forward.  In  that  way,: 
as  you  shall  presently  see,  the  boat  will  begin  to  climb 
up  the  pole,  like  a  boy  after  birds'  nests.  But  now, 
madam,  let  me  request  you  to  stand  near  the  furnace 
door;  and  when  I  give  the  word,  put  in  a  pinch  more  of 
the  green  powder  to  keep  up  the  steam,  for  it  is  far 
harder  to  climb  straight  up  than  it  is  to  go  straight  ahead, 
for  the  boat  is  flat  on  top  and  not  pointed  as  it  is  at  the 
end." 

As  the  Private  Secretary  spoke,  he  arranged  the 
clutches  of  the  machinery  as  he  had  said,  and,  to  their 
great  surprise,  the  boat  began  to  climb  up  the  pole  at  a 
rate  which  left  no  doubt  that  they  would  very  soon  be 
at  the  surface  of  the  sea. 

"Now,"  cried  the  Private  Secretary,  "put  in  the 
powder,  quick!" 

The  Widow  Pickle,  in  a  great  hurry,  took  a  pinch  of 
powder  and  cast  it  under  the  grate  as  she  had  done  before. 
This  was  where  she  made  a  great  mistake,  which  after 
ward  brought  upon  her  much  criticism;  for,  instead  of 
putting  in  the  green  powder,  which  belonged  to  the  sea, 
in  her  hurry  she  cast  in  a  pinch  of  the  blue  powder,  which 
was  correct  for  use  in  the  air,  but  not  in  the  water.  As 
she  did  this,  at  once  there  was  a  blinding  cloud  of  smoke 
and  a  deafening  explosion,  which  shook  the  sea  like  a 

39 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

volcanic  eruption.  The  boat  flew  quite  to  pieces,  as 
though  it  had  been  built  of  cardboard.  In  a  moment, 
they  were  blown  violently  into  the  air  beyond  the  surface 
of  the  ocean. 


JOfi? 


40 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  ARRIVAL  AT  THE  ISLAND 

As  the  boat  was  blown  from  under  them,  the  passengers 
thought  the  end  had  come  and  that  they  must  be  drowned 
far  beneath  the  sea ;  and  only  the  great  skill  and  presence 
of  mind  of  the  Private  Secretary  prevented  their  meeting 
this  fate.  But  as  they  were  starting  upward,  carried  by 
the  violence  of  the  explosion,  the  Private  Secretary 
caught  at  the  rack  where  the  life-preservers  were  hang 
ing,  and  so  saved  their  lives.  As  they  reached  the  surface 
he  handed  each  a  life-preserver,  and  soon  they  were  all 
swimming  safely  on  the  surface  of  a  placid  green  sea. 

41 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

" Madam,"  said  the  Private  Secretary  sternly,  "that 
we  are  not  all  killed  is  no  fault  of  yours.  Such  care 
lessness  deserves  the  utmost  punishment,  for  now  our 
boat  is  gone." 

"I  am  innocent,"  cried  the  Widow  Pickle,  "for  I  did 
just  what  you  told  me  to  do,  I  am  sure.  I  threw  in  the 
powder;  and  indeed  it  seems  to  me  that  was  what  made 
the  explosion." 

"  Precisely,"  said  the  Private  Secretary.  "  You  put  in 
the  wrong  powder.  You  used  the  malazite  instead  of 
the  corazine — I  know  it  as  well  as  though  I  had  seen 
you  do  it  myself." 

"That  is  quite  true,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "but  I 
thought—" 

"It  is  of  no  consequence  what  you  thought,"  said  the 
Private  Secretary.  "  But,  for  that  matter,  it  is  of  no 
use  to  argue  over  it  now.  We  are  here,  and  lucky  it  is 
we  are  not  drowned.  Happily  for  us,  we  have  been  blown 
some  miles  forward  on  our  way,  quite  over  the  Agalone 
Mountains,  and  shall  be  able  to  swim  the  remaining 
distance  without  trouble.  Yonder  are  the  shores  of  the 
Island  now,  only  about  a  mile  away." 

It  was  as  he  said.  They  swam  after  him,  and  soon 
there  appeared  a  wide  white  beach,  flanked  with  stately 
palms,  among  which  they  saw  rising  the  white  tow- 

42 


THE  ARRIVAL  AT  THE  ISLAND 

ers  and  domes  of  a  stately  city.  Toward  this  they 
swam  as  vigorously  as  they  might,  and  in  course  of  time 
stepped  upon  the  hard  white  sand  of  the  beach  and 
knew  that  their  journey  was  over. 

"I  am  very  sorry  that  we  lost  the  boat,"  said  the 
Widow  Pickle,  "but  I  am  extremely  glad  that  we  are 
here,  for  I  couldn't  have  swum  another  mile  to  save 
my  life.  My  life-preserver  belt  was  very  tight.  But 
what  a  pretty  spot  this  is !  I  am  sure  we  shall  like  this 
place  very  much  indeed,  and  I  am  glad  we  came. 
Look,  is  not  that  some  one  coming  down  the  beach  to 
meet  us?" 

11  That,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "  is  none  less  than 
his  Majesty  himself,  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz !" 


43 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

As  the  King  approached  them,  it  was  easy  to  see  that 
he  was  indeed  a  very  important  person;  for  all  the 
people  fell  down  upon  their  faces  before  him  and  made  a 
slow  deep  salutation,  much  as  though  you  should  say 
"Ah-h-h!"  in  this  way,  with  a  very  deep  breath.  To 
this  respectful  greeting  the  Monarch  made  no  return 
whatever.  The  Widow  Pickle  noticed  this. 

"  I  see  that  you  are  not  fully  acquainted  with  Mon- 
archs,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "or  at  least  I  should 
say  with  Monarchs  such  as  ours.  At  times  he  is  even 

44 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

more  absent-minded  than  he  now  appears.  I  have 
known  him  to  order  half  a  dozen  of  his  best  friends  to  be 
banished  for  some  slight  offense,  and  then  to  forget  it 
before  luncheon  of  that  same  day,  and  ask  for  them 
again,  just  as  though  nothing  had  happened/' 

"That,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "seems  to  me  a  very 
unusual  sort  of  thing  to  do.  I  should  like  to  see  him 
banish  me  if  I  did  not  feel  like  being  banished  at  the 
time!" 

"You  will  pardon  me,"  said  the  Private  Secretary, 
'  'but  it  appears  to  me  that  you  must  be  an  extraordinarily 
ignorant  person,  for  banishing  persons,  or  even  cutting 
off  their  heads,  in  a  fit  of  absent-mindedness,  is  a  part  of 
the  daily  routine  of  any  truly  royal  king,  and  his  loyal 
subjects  are  very  fond  of  both.  If  they  were  not,  they 
could  not  be  called  truly  loyal  subjects;  and  what  is 
the  use  of  being  a  subject  unless  one  is  a  truly  loyal  sub 
ject,  madam?" 

"That,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "is  a  very  difficult 
question." 

"  I  thought  you  would  find  it  such,"  replied  the  Private 
Secretary.  "  But  tell  me,  is  not  our  King  a  very  royal 
person  ?  And  I  may  add  that  he  is  as  kindly  a  king  as 
ever  sat  on  a  throne.  Once  in  awhile,  he  does  something 
which  indicates  a  slight  loss  of  temper ;  but  how  could  you 

45 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

blame  him,  with  his  poor  stomach,  and  with  his  love 
affair  with  the  Fairy  Queen,  as  well,  to  trouble  him? 
It  is  quite  enough  to  upset  any  king  in  the  world,  I  am 


sure." 


"His  stomach?"  said  the  Widow  Pickle.  "And  the 
Fairy  Queen?  Well,  the  poor  King,  after  all,  may  be 
quite  like  other  men.  I  remember  that  my  poor  dear 
husband,  Aurelius  Pickle,  used  to  have  just  such  times 
with  his  stomach.  Why,  at  times,  he  could  eat  nothing 
in  the  world  but  some  of  my  Waffles." 

11  Your  Waffles?  What  are  those? "  asked  the  Private 
Secretary.  "Are  they  anything  new?" 

"Well,  I  can't  say  as  to  that,"  replied  the  Widow 
Pickle,  "for  my  grandmother  taught  me  how  to  make 
them.  But  I  may  say  with  some  pride  that  the  Governor 
of  our  State  once  ate  of  my  Waffles  and  asked  for  two 
more,  and  in  my  family  that  was  considered  very  high 
praise,  indeed.  I  should  like  to  try  one  on  your  King, 
if  he  is  troubled  with  his  stomach." 

"That  might  be  quite  a  fine  idea,"  said  the  Private 
Secretary,  "and  if  you  don't  object,  I  shall  place  the 
matter  before  his  Royal  Highness.  I  have  never  seen 
this  that  you  call  a  Waffle,  but  if  it  will  make  the  King 
forget  his  royal  trouble  it  may  be  very  much  better  for 
him  and  for  all  the  rest  of  us." 

46 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"  I  should  be  very  glad,  indeed,  to  be  of  any  slight 
assistance  that  I  may,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle  modestly. 

"  But,  hush!  "  whispered  the  Private  Secretary.  "  He 
is  coming  this  way.  May  I  suggest  that  just  as  he  steps 
across  that  white  line  which  you  see  marked  upon  the 
ground,  you  make  him  a  deep  reverence?  I  think  you 
call  it  a  courtesy  in  your  country." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "but  I  shall  do 
no  more  than  courtesy,  and  shall  not  make  it  too  deep 
even  in  that  case,  for  I  myself  come  of  a  very  proud 
family." 

"  Hush! "  whispered  the  Private  Secretary  again.  And 
now  the  King  came  forward,  fixing  upon  them  the  keen 
glance  of  his  royal  eye.  Seeing  this,  Lulu  and  Zuzu 
grasped  their  mother's  gown  in  their  hands  and  shrank 
back  behind  her,  much  frightened.  The  Private  Secre 
tary  bowed  flat  upon  the  ground  and  began  to  say 
"Ah-h-h!"  very  fast. 

The  Widow  courtesied  as  she  was  bid,  looking  up  at  the 
King.  Indeed,  she  was  willing  to  declare  the  King 
most  extraordinary  in  appearance.  He  was  about  six 
feet  or  more  in  height,  and  very  dark  in  complexion, 
almost  coffee-brown  in  color,  indeed.  His  hair,  which 
was  of  a  bright  brick-dust  red,  was  profuse,  and  stuck 
out  around  his  head  in  a  sort  of  fringe  to  the  extent  of 

47 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

two  or  three  feet  on  each  side.  In  his  nose  he  wore  a 
large  ring,  and  his  teeth  shone  as  he  opened  his  mouth, 
for  in  each  tooth  was  set  a  fine  large  diamond.  On  his 
fingers  were  rings  of  highly-shining  precious  stones,  like 
emeralds  and  diamonds  and  rubies,  with  others  whose 
names  the  Widow  could  not  guess.  The  King  wore  a 
garland  of  flowers  about  his  neck,  and  carried  in  his  hand 
a  war  club  or  heavy  cane  made  of  dark  wood,  with  a 
large  gold  knob  at  the  end,  and  set  thickly  with  shining 
stones  about  the  handle.  His  feet  were  clad  in  bright- 
red  slippers,  whose  points  turned  up  nearly  to  his  knees. 
A  rich  cloak  of  spotted  fur  hung  across  his  shoulders, 
although  the  climate  was  so  warm  that  he  really  was  in 
small  need  of  fur;  so  he  allowed  it  to  fall  back  carelessly, 
confining  it  with  a  cord,  which  latter  passed  around  his 
chest  and  shoulders.  Around  his  neck  also  was  hung 
a  broad  collar  of  cloth  or  leather,  which  was  set  as  thick 
as  it  could  hold  with  all  manner  of  brilliant,  shining 
stones.  It  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that  the  Island  of 
Gee- Whiz  was  a  land  very  rich  indeed  in  precious  metals 
and  gems,  for  the  like  of  this  display  of  gold  and  gems 
was  never  before  seen  in  any  country.  As  the  Widow 
Pickle  looked,  she  wondered  where  all  these  rich  stones 
and  all  this  gold  came  from;  and  mentally  she  made  a 
resolution  to  discover  this  before  very  many  days  had 
passed. 

48 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  ROYAL  HEREDITARY  TWINS 

11  Madam,"  said  the  King,  "  who  are  you,  if  I  may  ask, 
and  why  do  these  young  persons  hide  behind  you?  Let 
us  have  no  delays  and  no  excuses.  If  we  are  to  get  on 
in  the  least  pleasantly,  I  beg  you  of  all  things  to  remember 
that  I  am  King.  And  I  need  hardly  state  that  the  King 
of  Gee- Whiz  is  something  of  a  Monarch,  if  I  may  so 
express  it." 

"If  it  please  your  Majesty,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,, 
"I  am  a  Widow,  and  come  from  foreign  parts." 

49 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"That/'  rejoined  the  King,  "is  a  claim  of  no  special 
distinction,  for  there  are  very  many  widows  who  come 
from  foreign  parts.  Pray,  whatever  you  do,  don't 
bore  me,  for  I  am  very  easily  bored,  and  when  I  am 
bored  I  am  very  bored  indeed,  as  you  will  readily  per 
ceive  a  true  King  must  be." 

"That  I  can  easily  understand,"  said  the  Widow, 
"but  I  hope  that  my  Twins  will  not  bore  you.  Come, 
my  children,  and  make  your  bow  to  the  King." 

In  truth,  it  must  be  said  that  the  Widow  Pickle  was 
more  frightened  at  the  King  than  she  thought  she  was 
going  to  be. 

"Yes,"  said  the  King,  "let  us  see  what  your  children 
look  like." 

At  this,  very  much  frightened,  Zuzu  and  Lulu  came 
out  from  behind  their  mother  and  bowed  very  low 
before  the  King,  and  they  had  the  presence  of  mind  to 
make  the  sound  "Ah-h-h!"  between  their  teeth  as  the 
Private  Secretary  and  others  had  done.  The  King  was 
pleased  at  this.  But,  at  the  next  moment,  he  sprang 
back  with  an  exclamation  of  surprise. 

"What!"  said  he,  "what  is  that  I  see?  Is  it  possible 
that  we  have  here  two  young  persons  with  the  Royal 
Hereditary  Hair  in  true  malazite  blue  and  royal  corazine 
green?  Why,  bless  my  soul  and  body,  not  since  the 

50 


THE  ROYAL  HEREDITARY  TWINS 

reign  of  Gee- Whiz  the  Twelfth  has  a  true  double  instance 
of  this  kind  of  hair  been  found  in  all  our  kingdom! " 

"Do  you  like  their  hair,  your  Majesty?"  asked  the 
Widow  Pickle. 

"What  a  question!"  exclaimed  the  King.  "How  can 
I  help  liking  it  ?  Did  not  the  Royal  Queen  Mother  of  our 
family  three  thousand  years  ago  have  blue  hair;  and 
her  husband,  the  reigning  monarch,  green?  My  dear 
madam,  I  look  upon  this  as  the  most  fortunate  thing 
that  has  occurred  during  my  entire  reign.  If  I  am  not 
very  much  mistaken,  we  shall  hear  of  strange  and  won 
derful  things  before  long." 

"  I  am  glad  you  like  their  hair,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle 
proudly,  "although  I  must  say  that  in  our  country 
neither  was  considered  a  fashionable  color." 

"  Yours  must  be  a  very  strange  country,"  said  the  King 
of  Gee- Whiz,  "  and  you  must  have  associated  with  extra 
ordinarily  ignorant  persons,  not  to  know  that  blue  and 
green  are  the  finest  colors  in  the  world  for  hair.  Really, 
never  in  my  life  have  I  seen  such  a  delicate  shade  as  this. 
I  am  so  delighted  that  I  shall  at  once,  in  accordance 
with  the  law  of  the  Island,  have  this  Prince  and  Princess 
measured  for  a  brand-new  throne  each.  Moreover,  they 
shall  each  have  one  of  the  Fairy  Wishing  Wands,  which 
are  a  part  of  the  royal  property.  Whatever  they  wish 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

they  shall  have  three  times  a  week — but  of  course  no 
more,  for  that  would  not  be  lawful." 

"Certainly  not,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  although  she 
did  not  in  the  least  understand  what  all  this  was  about. 

"As  to  yourself,  madam,"  resumed  the  Monarch, 
"  although  you  claim  to  be  the  mother  of  these  children, 
I  do  not  observe  that  your  own  hair  shows  any  token 
of  the  royal  colors.  In  short,  it  is  somewhat  the  color 
of  my  own.  I  regret  to  state  that  my  hair,  although 
once  of  a  royal  tint,  was  bleached  by  a  sudden  exposure 
to  the  sun  by  a  careless  nurse  when  I  was  young."  He 
smiled  sadly,  but  soon  recovered.  "This,  however,  shall 
not  happen  to  this  young  Prince  and  Princess,"  he  said, 
"for  they  shall  have  royal  umbrellas  and  attendants  to 
carry  them  when  they  walk  abroad. 

"Let  me  think,"  went  on  the  King.  "I  forget  what 
I  was  about  to  say.  Was  I  going  to  banish  you,  my  dear 
madam,  or  have  you  beheaded?  Jiji,  get  up  and  tell 
me  what  I  was  going  to  say." 

At  this,  the  Private  Secretary,  who  had  been  prostrate 
with  his  face  upon  the  ground  all  this  time,  arose  very 
quickly. 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  he,  "let  me  suggest  that  you 
neither  banish  nor  behead  this  good  lady.  Her  husband 
was  a  very  remarkable  man,  a  dealer  in  Chemical  Sub- 

52 


They  knew  that  their  journey  was  over       Page  43 


THE  ROYAL  HEREDITARY  TWINS 

stances.  It  was  in  this  way,  as  I  am  assured,  that  he 
discovered  the  means  of  making  a  very  wonderful  dish 
known  as  the  Waffle,  which  is  considered  to  be  a  sovereign 
cure  for  what  are  called  the  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors 
of  the  Royal  Stomach." 

"It  was  not  my  husband,"  began  the  Widow  Pickle 
indignantly;  but  the  Private  Secretary,  bowing  low, 
stepped  in  front  of  her,  wriggling  his  hands  behind  him 
very  hard. 

"Her  husband,  your  Majesty,"  said  he  quickly,  "was 
a  wonderful  man.  I  have  myself  seen  one  of  these 
Waffles,  and  they  are  extraordinarily  fine  to  look  upon, 
although  I  have  never  eaten  one.  That  is  reserved  for 
royalty  alone." 

"I  have  eaten  them  often,"  exclaimed  Zuzu. 

"That,"  said  the  King,  "is  not  remarkable,  my  dear, 
because  you  evidently  are  of  royal  blood.  But,  madam, 
tell  me  where  can  I  get  one  of  these  Waffles  to  eat?" 

"That,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "is  very  easy,  if  you 
will  but  get  me  a  Waffle-iron  and  permit  me  to  build  a 
fire  here  in  front  of  the  palace." 

The  King  turned  to  the  Private  Secretary.  "Jiji," 
said  he,  "get  her  a  Waffle-iron  at  once.  If  there  is  no 
such  thing,  have  it  made  by  the  royal  smiths.  Pray, 
madam,  what  is  a  Waffle-iron  made  of?" 

53 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"  Of  iron,  your  Majesty." 

"  That  is  too  bad,"  said  the  King.  "  We  have  no  such 
precious  metal  as  that.  I  suppose  we  shall  have  to  make 
it  out  of  gold.  Do  you  mind  if  we  make  it  of  gold?" 

"I  never  saw  one  of  gold,  your  Majesty,"  replied  the 
Widow  Pickle,  "but  perhaps  I  could  make  out  with  it." 
In  her  heart  she  was  thinking  that  if  she  ever  told  her 
friends  she  had  baked  Waffles  on  a  gold  Waffle-iron, 
they  certainly  would  not  believe  her;  but  we  can  easily 
see  how  much  mistaken  her  friends  would  have  been  in 
that  case. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  King.  "Get  the  lady  a  gold 
Waffle-iron  and  help  her  all  you  can  with  her  work.  If 
she  is  half  as  good  a  cook  as  you  think,  she  also  may  have 
some  sort  of  throne;  although  I  much  regret  that  her 
hair  is  far  from  the  desirable  color  for  those  of  the  royal 
household." 

"  I  ought  to  have  a  little  flour,"  said  the  Widow,  "  and 
a  little  milk." 

"Milk?"  said  the  King.  "How  unfortunate!  The 
royal  cows  are  all  lost  in  the  woods,  every  one  of  them, 
and  not  even  the  Court  Detective,  whom  I  employ  for 
that  purpose,  can  find  them." 

"Don't  you  know  how  to  find  them?"  cried  Zuzu 
eagerly. 

54 


THE  ROYAL  HEREDITARY  TWINS 

"  No,  to  be  sure  I  don't.  I'm  too  busy  to  learn  such 
things." 

"You  ask  a  Daddy-long-legs,"  said  Zuzu. 

"I  beg  pardon?"  said  the  King.  But  just  then,  as 
Zuzu  and  Lulu  happened  to  grasp  the  Enchanted  Banjo, 
the  latter  began  to  tell  the  King  how  to  find  the  cows 
— a  thing  which  any  child  could  have  told  him. 

DADDY-LONG-LEGS 

Ho,  Mister  Daddy-long-legs,  it  is  queer 

How  much  you  know. 
A  very  savage  being  you  appear — 

You  are  not,  though. 
With  gentle  grace  and  kindly  bows 

You  tell  us  where  to  find  the  cows. 

Ho,  Daddy-long-legs,  tell  me,  tell  me  now 

Which  direction  I  must  go  if  I  find  my  cow. 

'Way  over  yonder — 'way  over  there — 

That's  the  way  he  points  us  with  his  long  leg  in  the  air. 

Ho,  Mister  Daddy-long-legs,  when  you  sprawl 

Upon  the  fence, 
One  wouldn't  think  the  cows  would  moo  at  all 

When  you  commence 
To  show  us  where  their  feet  have  made 
A  winding  pathway  to  the  shade. 

55 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

Ho,  Daddy-long-legs,  tell  me,  tell  me  now 
Which  direction  I  must  go  if  I  find  my  cow. 
'Way  through  the  meadow — 'way  down  the  brook — 
See  his  long  leg  pointing  out  the  place  where  we  must 
look! 


"Well!"  said  the  King,  "that  is  a  most  extraordinary 
thing,  most  extraordinary  indeed,  and  I  shall  certainly 
have  to  call  the  matter  to  the  attention  of  my  Court 
Detective.  But,  madam,  as  we  have  no  cows  at  present, 
how  would  a  little  cocoanut  milk  do?  We  can  get  you 
any  amount  of  that." 

"I  have  never  tried  it,"  said  the  Widow,  "but  I  am 
sure  it  will  be  very  much  better  than  no  milk  at  all." 

''Very  well,  then,"  said  the  King,  "I'll  have  Jiji  get 
you  all  you  want." 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  GOLD  WAFFLE-IRON 

Meantime  the  Private  Secretary  departed,  but  now 
in  a  few  moments  returned  with  a  very  fine  new  Waffle- 
iron,  all  of  gold,  which  he  had  had  made  as  the  Widow 
instructed,  with  small  hills  and  hollows  all  over  its 
surface. 

"This,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "is  the  most  beautiful 
Waffle-iron  I  ever  used.  If  I  do  not  make  good  Waffles 
now,  it  surely  will  be  my  own  fault." 

So  now  the  Private  Secretary  also  got  her  some  palm 
flour,  and  two  quarts  of  cocoanut  milk ;  and  after  making 

57 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

a  little  fire  in  front  of  the  palace  door,  the  Widow  Pickle 
busied  herself  and  soon  produced  a  nice  brown  Waffle, 
with  hills  and  hollows  all  over  it,  from  her  new  gold 
Waffle-iron.  "  Now,  if  I  only  had  some  syrup,"  said  she, 
"  I  am  sure  I  could  recommend  this  Waffle  for  any  pur 
poses  connected  with  eating." 

The  King  had  been  watching  her  very  closely  in  her. 
work.  "What  do  you  mean  by  syrup?"  asked  he 
curiously. 

"This,"  said  the  Widow,  "is  certainly  a  strange  coun 
try — not  that  I  wish  to  criticize  in  the  least,  your  Majesty. 
But  I  was  just  thinking  that  a  world  without  syrup  is 
very  singular  indeed." 

"Well,  you  will  understand,"  said  the  King  of  Gee- 
Whiz,  "we  who  live  on  this  Island  are  not  very  different 
from  Fairies.  At  least,  we  are  dependent  upon  the  Fairies 
for  all  we  eat  and  wear  and  use.  They  are  our  work 
people,  and  we  have  to  take  what  they  give  us  and  be 
thankful.  Now,  I  suppose  the  Fairies  have  never  con 
sidered  that  syrup  was  necessary  for  us." 

Zuzu  and  Lulu  listened  with  the  greatest  interest,  and 
when  the  king  spoke  of  Fairies  they  could  not  restrain 
themselves. 

"Oh,  your  Majesty,"  said  Lulu,  "have  you  ever  really 
seen  a  Fairy?" 

58 


THE  GOLD  WAFFLE-IRON 

11  Have  I  ? "  said  the  King.  "  Thousands  of  them.  We 
get  all  our  gold  from  them — when  their  pretty  Queen, 
Zulena,  is  good  enough  to  grant  our  wishes.  Fairies! 
Why,  they  are  as  common  as  leaves  upon  the  trees. 
Are  there  none  in  your  country,  my  Princess?" 

"None,"  said  Lulu,  "only  I  have  always  so  much 
wished  to  see  just  one  Fairy." 

"If  that  is  all  you  wish,"  said  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz, 

'there  will  not  be  the  least  trouble  about  it.     We  got 

this  Enchanted  Banjo  from  the  Fairies,  and  I  am  sure 

it  will  be  obliging  enough  to  tell  you  about  so  common  a 

place  as  Fairy-land.     Won't  you,  Banjo?" 

The  Banjo  nodded  its  head,  and  presently  began  to  play. 

FAIRY-LAND  AFAR 


I  know  where  is  Fairy-land, 

Little  one  with  wond'ring  eyes. 
Often,  often,  do  you  stand 

Gazing  where  the  hills  arise, 
Dreaming  of  the  land  that  lies 

Somewhere,  where  the  fairies  are 
Past  the  ending  of  the  skies — 

Fairy-land  afar. 

I  have  seen  it,  and  I  know 

How  we  journey  to  that  land; 
Nodding  poppies  flash  and  glow 

59 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

Down  the  path  on  either  hand; 
Jewel  spray  on  silver  sand 

Brings  the  snow-white  Fairy-boats; 
Each,  by  elves  and  brownies  manned, 

As  a  lily  floats. 

Ho,  sometimes  you  hear  the  bells 

That  the  dancing  Fairies  wear ! 
Oft  at  night  their  music  swells 

Far  and  faintly  on  the  air, 
And  sometimes  the  breezes  bear 

Calls  blown  on  a  Fairy-horn ; 
You  have  heard  them,  here  and  there, 

In  the  summer  morn. 

Here's  the  secret:     You  must  look 

For  the  path  with  drowsy  eyes: 
Twixt  the  covers  of  a  book 

Half  the  wondrous  secret  lies. 
Then  if  you  are  good  and  wise, 

In  a  twinkling  there  you  are — 
Past  the  ending  of  the  skies, 

Fairy-land  afar. 


"The  Banjo  knows  more  about  the  Fairies  than  any 
one,"  said  the  Private  Secretary.  "It  can  tell  you  how 
they  employ  themselves  all  these  long  summer  days." 
And  thereupon  the  Banjo  began: 


60 


THE  GOLD  WAFFLE-IRON 
WHAT  THE  FAIRIES  DO 

Oh,  do  not  think  the  Fairies  can  be  idle  all  the  while, 
That  they  have  nothing  much  to  do  but  sit  and  sing  and  smile ; 
Each  has  a  task  he  must  perform — he  must  be  smart  and  good 
And  do  his  work  as  carefully  as  real-sure  people  should. 

Some  Fairies  have  to  hurry  forth  and  waken  all  the  leaves 
And  bid  them  come  and  dress  the  trees  in  dainty  styles  and  weaves ; 
Some  Fairies  have  to  go  with  paint  and  some  with  rich  perfume, 
And  tint  and  scent  the  flowers  when  they  open  into  bloom. 

The  Jack-o'-lantern  Fairies  have  to  dance  above  the  bogs 
To  make  a  light  for  all  the  concerts  given  by  the  frogs ; 
And  others  whisper  to  the  bees  and  tell  them  where  to  look 
For  honey  in  a  clover  bloom  that  hides  beside  the  brook. 

And  some  come  when  the  night  is  here  and  you  have  gone  to  sleep 
They  find  your  home  and  then  upon  your  pillow  they  will  creep, 
And  tell  you  dreams  that  you  must  dream;  and  then,  you  under 
stand, 
Next  morning  you  may  truly  say  you've  been  to  Fairy-land. 

"  But  now,  in  regard  to  this  syrup,  I  wonder  very  much 
how  it  tastes,"  interrupted  the  King,  returning  to  the 
matter  that  had  been  upon  his  mind,  "tell  me,  how  does 
it  taste?" 

"Very  sweet,  your  Majesty,"  said  Zuzu,  "and  it  is 
very  nice  with  Waffles.  I  have  eaten  it  often." 

"But  whence  do  you  obtain  this  syrup?"  asked  the 
King. 

61 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ. 

"  The  best  kind  comes  out  of  a  tree,"  said  Zuzu,  who  had 
often  been  with  his  uncle  when  he  was  making  maple 
sugar. 

"  From  a  tree?  Oh,  I  suppose  you  get  it  just  as  I  do 
my  palm  wine  when  I  wish,  or  my  cocoanut  milk.  You 
cut  a  hole  in  the  tree,  and  catch  the  juice  in  a  cup?" 

"  It  is  something  like  that,  your  Majesty,"  replied  Zuzu. 

"Then,  my  dear,"  said  the  King,  "take  this  little  gold 
ax  and  run  and  catch  me  a  cupful  of  syrup  for  my  new 
Waffle." 

Zuzu  did  as  he  was  bid  and  soon  came  back  with  a 
cupful  of  very  fair  syrup.  This  the  Widow  at  once  spread 
upon  the  hot  Waffle  and  offered  it  to  the  King. 

"This  syrup,"  said  the  King,  touching  his  finger  to 
the  contents  of  the  cup,  "is  most  delicious.  It  is  some 
thing  we  have  had  all  along,  but  did  not  know  it." 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle  anxiously, 
"  I  beg  you  will  eat  your  Waffle  while  it  is  hot." 

"Oh,  very  well,"  said  the  King  wearily,  "but  surely 
you  must  know  that  I  usually  am  very  much  more  bored 
about  eating  things  than  any  one  can  possibly  be  who 
has  never  been  a  King." 

So  saying,  he  took  his  royal  golden  knife  and  fork  and 
cut  off  a  morsel  from  the  Waffle,  which  he  placed  in  his 
royal  mouth.  As  he  did  so,  to  their  great  surprise,  he 

62 


THE  GOLD  WAFFLE-IRON 

sat  up  straight,  and  a  pleasant  smile  appeared  upon  his 
face.  His  cheek  stuck  out  where  the  mouthful  of  Waffle 
lay;  but  the  King  did  not  act  as  though  he  intended  to 
swallow  it,  although  his  smile  showed  that  he  was  pleased. 

"Is  it  good,  your  Majesty?"  asked  the  Widow  Pickle 
again  anxiously. 

The  King  nodded  but  did  not  speak.  He  motioned 
for  a  piece  of  paper,  on  which  he  wrote  the  word  "  Ex 
cellent.  '* 

"Then,  why  do  you  not  eat  it?"  asked  the  Widow. 

"  I  fear  very  much  there  may  not  be  anything  more  so 
good,"  wrote  the  King. 

At  this,   the   Widow   Pickle   herself   smiled  happily. 

"  Oh,  yes,  there  is,  your  Majesty,"  she  cried.  "  I  warn 
you  that  every  bite  of  this  Waffle  is  as  good  as  the  first 
one.  Moreover,  I  assure  you  I  can  bake  others  quite 
as  good,  as  many  as  you  like." 

Hearing  this,  the  King  at  once  ate  the  portion  of 
Waffle,  and,  to  the  great  joy  of  all,  regained  his  voice; 
for  of  course  no  King  ever  speaks  with  his  mouth  even 
partly  full. 

"  That,"  said  the  King,  with  a  long  breath,  "  was 
the  most  remarkable  delicacy  I  ever  ate  in  all  my 
life.  My  dear  madam,  I  am  very  much  pleased  that 
I  have  heard  of  it,  very  much  pleased,  I  assure  you. 
Indeed,  I  welcome  you  to  our  Island." 

63  «fr  Tie  fc 

was    1 
fleased 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"But  hurry,  your  Majesty,"  cried  the  Widow  Pickle, 
"or  the  Waffle  will  get  cold!" 

Whereupon  the  King,  still  smiling  with  comfort  and 
joy,  fell  to,  and  presently  the  first  Waffle  was  quite  gone. 
Another  followed,  and  yet  another.  "More!"  cried  the 
King,  as  though  he  were  a  little  boy.  So  the  Widow 
Pickle,  very  warm  and  very  happy,  baked  Waffles  until 
she  quite  forgot  to  count  them  any  more. 

"  You  may  have  a  throne  made  for  the  lady  also,  Jiji," 
said  the  King  carelessly  to  his  Private  Secretary,  after 
a  while,  "for  I  have  concluded  neither  to  banish  her  nor 
behead  her.  She  shall  be  made  the  Royal  Waffle  Baker, 
ivith  a  permanent  salary/' 

The  Widow  Pickle  was  delighted,  for  although  she  had 
taked  many  a  Waffle  before,  she  had  never  done  so  with 
a  gold  Waffle-iron,  and  had  never  been  so  well  rewarded 
.for  what  to  her  seemed  a  very  ordinary  accomplishment. 

Later,  for  the  entertainment  of  Lulu  and  Zuzu,  the 
Enchanted  Banjo  sang  this  little  song,  which,  it  said, 
contained  a  very  helpful  moral  lesson : 

IF  YOU  WERE  A  WAFFLE 

You  think  that  things  go  wrong 
If  you  should  stub  your  toes ; 

If,  when  you  run  along, 

You  fall  and  bump  your  nose ; 


THE  GOLD  WAFFLE-IRON 


You  sometimes  wail  and  cry 

Because  you  may  not  wear 
The  things  that  please  your  eye ; 

You  do  not  like  your  hair! 

But — 

Wouldn't  it  be  awful 
If  you  were  a  waffle? 

Puckered,  brown,  and  round  and  flat — 
Would  you  only  think  of  that ! 
If  you  were  a  waffle 
Wouldn't  it  be  awful? 

Sometimes  you  sigh — you  do, 

Because  you  are  yourself! 
What  would  you  think  if  you 

Were  on  a  pantry  shelf? 
If  you  were  set  away 

Because  you  had  grown  cold — 
Left  from  but  yesterday 

And  now,  alas!  too  old! 

Oh— 

Wouldn't  it  be  awful 
If  you  were  a  waffle? 

Hot  and  brown,  and  made  to  wait 
On  somebody's  breakfast  plate — 
If  you  were  a  waffle, 
Wouldn't  it  be  awful? 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  FAIRY  TELEPHONE 

The  next  morning,  after  the  Widow  Pickle  and  the 
Twins  had  finished  their  breakfast,  they  strolled  for  a 
short  time  through  the  palace  grounds,  upon  the  edge 
of  which  was  the  house  which  the  King  had  given  them 
as  their  new  home.  Presently,  they  came  to  the  place 
beneath  the  trees  where  was  situated  the  great  throne 
of  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz.  As  the  climate  was  warm, 
he  always  kept  his  throne  out  of  doors,  under  the  trees, 
where  it  was  cooler  than  in  the  palace.  Here  they  now 
found  the  King  fast  asleep  under  his  umbrella;  but  just 

66 


THE  FAIRY  TELEPHONE 

as  they  were  about  to  speak  to  him,  they  saw  the  Private 
Secretary  beckoning  to  them.  They  joined  him  and 
followed  him  to  a  little  distance  from  the  throne. 

"We  must  be  careful,"  said  the  Private  Secretary, 
"not  to  disturb  his  Majesty  when  he  is  asleep.  He  will 
probably  not  waken  until  eleven  thirty-five,  at  which 
time  it  will  be  desirable  for  the  Royal  Baker  of  the 
Waffles  to  be  ready  to  prepare  his  breakfast.  I  suggest 
that  a  little  promenade  through  our  Island  might  now 
be  found  pleasant." 

"Can't  mamma  go  with  us?"  asked  Zuzu. 

"That  would  be  very  nice,"  said  the  Private  Secre 
tary,  "except  for  the  reasons  I  have  given.  It  will 
perhaps  be  the  best  and  safest  thing  for  your  mamma 
to  remain  near  the  palace,  lest  the  King  should  suddenly 
awake  and  be  hungry." 

So  saying,  the  Private  Secretary  took  Zuzu  and  Lulu 
each  by  the  hand  and  they  started  out  for  a  walk  in  the 
cool  morning  air. 

Zuzu  noticed  that  the  Private  Secretary  carried  under 
his  arm  some  little  sticks  or  wands,  which  shone  as 
though  they  were  made  of  gold  and  jewels. 

"What  are  those  little  sticks  that  you  are  carrying, 
sir?"  asked  he. 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"Those,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "are  the  Royal 
Wishing  Wands  which  have  been  given  to  you  by  the 
King.  He  himself  obtained  them  some  time  ago  from 
the  Fairy  Queen.  You  will  find  them  very  useful; 
for  if  there  is  anything  in  the  world  that  you  want,  you 
can  have  it  by  simply  rubbing  this  Wand  three  times 
and  wishing  clearly  and  distinctly.  But  you  must 
remember  that  you  have  only  three  wishes  in  any  one 
week;  so  I  suggest  that  you  exercise  care." 

As  he  spoke,  the  Private  Secretary  extended  to  each 
of  the  Twins  one  of  the  Royal  Wishing  Wands,  and  with 
great  delight  both  began  vigorously  to  rub  the  Wands 
and  to  say  excitedly,  "I  wish!  I  wish!" 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  smiling. 
"What  is  it  that  you  wish?" 

"  Please  bring  my  mamma  some  gold  and  some  dia 
monds,  a  whole  bushel,"  said  Lulu;  and  Zuzu  said,  "I 
wish  the  same,  because  I  have  often  heard  mamma 
express  a  wish  for  those  very  things." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "she  shall 
have  them  just  as  soon  as  his  Majesty  can  telephone  to 
the  Fairy  Valley.  His  Majesty  is  very  liberal  in  such 
matters  as  these." 

"Telephone?"  cried  Zuzu.  "Do  you  have  telephones 
here?" 

68 


Zuzu  and  Lulu  bowed  very  low 


THE  FAIRY  TELEPHONE 

"Certainly  we  do.  How  could  the  King  order  such 
gold  and  diamonds  as  he  may  need,  if  he  were  not  able 
to  telephone  for  them  to  the  Fairies?  You  see,  we  get 
these  things  only  through  the  Fairies,  who  live  far  toward 
the  interior  of  the  Island,  in  a  place  which  not  even  I 
myself  have  ever  seen." 

"  Well,  I  would  like  to  know  how  any  one  can  telephone 
to  a  Fairy,"  said  Zuzu,  who  had  never  heard  of  such  a 
thing  before. 

"It  is  the  simplest  thing  in  the  world,"  replied  the 
Private  Secretary.  "The  morning  is  the  best  time  for 
the  use  of  the  Fairy  Telephone.  You  will  notice  that 
then  the  dew  lies  heavy  upon  all  the  world.  All  the 
leaves  and  blades  of  grass  are  wet  with  it,  and  it  shines 
in  the  early  sunlight,  to  my  mind  far  more  beautifully 
than  any  diamond.  Now,  over  this  dewy  world  of  leaves 
and  grass  and  boughs  and  ferns,  which  touch  each  other 
quite  across  the  Island,  you  will  see  many  little  fine  lines , 
finer  than  hairs,  woven  in  and  out.  Sometimes  you  will 
see  long  floating  films  and  sometimes  braided  nets. 
These  are  the  webs  of  the  spiders,  which  spin  all  the 
time  without  any  one  asking  them  to  work.  Now,  these 
webs  of  the  spiders  are  the  lines  of  the  Fairy  Telephone, 
and  they  run  from  this  Island  quite  over  into  the  val 
ley  where  the  Fairies  live." 

69 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

" But  how  can  you  hear?"  asked  Lulu.  " I  have  had 
spider  webs  in  my  hands,  but  I  heard  nothing  at  all." 

"That  was  because  you  did  not  have  a  Cricket  to  put 
to  your  ear  at  the  same  time,"  said  the  Private  Secretary. 
"  If  you  have  a  good  Cricket  and  place  it  at  your  ear, 
it  will  say  things  to  you.  Have  you  not  heard  Crickets 
chirping,  chirping  away,  hour  after  hour?" 

"Of  course!  of  course!"  cried  both  the  Twins,  "we 
have  heard  that." 

"Well,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "that  is  all  there 
is  about  it.  The  Crickets  are  simply  telephoning  from 
the  Fairies  to  you,  and  it  has  been  your  own  fault  that 
you  have  not  had  messages  from  the  Fairies  before  now. 
Only  I  should  say  you  must  remember  to  have  a  White 
Cricket  for  good  Fairies.  A  Black  Cricket  will  telephone 
only  to  bad  Fairies.  His  Majesty,  of  course,  has  a  fine 
White  Cricket,  which  has  always  lived  under  his  shadow; 
and  it  is  with  this  that  he  telephones  to  the  Fairy  Valley." 

"I  wish  I  had  a  Cricket,"  said  Zuzu. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "you  shall 
have  one  presently;  but  remember  that  is  two  wishes 
you  have  already  had.  And  remember  only  a  White 
Cricket  is  the  right  kind." 

Before  Zuzu  could  think  or  wish  again,  Lulu  broke  in. 
"  I  shall  wish  for  a  dewy  morning  and  plenty  of  spider 
webs,"  said  she. 

70 


THE  FAIRY  TELEPHONE 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "  I  shall  make 
a  note  of  your  second  wish.  You  have  now  but  two 
wishes  left  for  the  week;  although  I  must  say  that  for 
inexperienced  wishers  you  have  done  very  well." 

"  But  why  can't  we  ourselves  go  to  the  Fairy  Valley,  " 
asked  Zuzu,  "if  it  is  right  here  on  this  Island?" 

The  Private  Secretary  frowned.  "Surely,"  said  he, 
"you  are  a  very  ignorant  person  if  you  can  have  such  a 
thought  as  that.  The  Fairy  Valley  is  known  to  none  of 
us  of  the  royal  household.  Besides,  you  quite  forget 
about  the  Dragon  which  guards  the  entrance  to  the 
Valley.  Listen!  It  seems  to  me  I  hear  the  Dragon's 
voice  at  this  moment." 

They  all  stopped  and  listened,  and,  to  be  sure,  they 
heard  at  that  moment  a  low,  hoarse,  roaring  sound  come 
across  the  forest,  sounding  something  like  the  bark  of  the 
sea-lion  in  the  zoological  gardens,  so  that  any  who  have 
heard  that  will  know  very  well  how  the  voice  of  a  Dragon 
sounds.  For,  as  it  seems,  this  is  what  Zuzu  and  Lulu 
heard. 

"Yes,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "there  is  the 
Dragon  roaring  now." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

JANKOW  THE  DRAGON 

"I  don't  exactly  like  that  sound,"  said  Zuzu,  drawing 
back.  "It  makes  my  shoulders  creep."  Lulu  also 
hesitated. 

" Don't  fear,"  said  the  Private  Secretary.  "In  my 
belief  the  Dragon  is  not  so  bad  as  his  voice  and  actions 
would  seem  to  indicate.  I  have  lived  here  all  my  life, 
and  although  I  have  known  our  Dragon  to  threaten  to 
do  a  great  many  things,  I  have  never  known  him  really 
to  harm  anybody  in  his  life.  It  seems  necessary  for  a 
Dragon  to  roar  a  great  deal;  but  in  my  experience  they 

72 


JANKOW  THE  DRAGON 

are  not  dangerous  if  properly  approached  and  handled 
with  care." 

Zuzu  and  Lulu,  none  the  less,  were  very  much  afraid 
as  they  went  on  through  the  woods  with  the  Private 
Secretary.  The  voice  of  the  Dragon  seemed  to  them 
very  loud  and  ferocious.  They  held  on  tight  to  the  hands 
of  the  Private  Secretary,  who  led  them  on  until  at  last 
they  came  out  into  a  wide,  open  space  in  front  of  a  high 
and  jagged  pile  of  rocks.  In  these  rocks  there  was  a 
narrow  sort  of  gorge  or  passageway,  and  directly  in  front 
of  this  opening  or  door,  as  they  presently  discovered, 
lay  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the  most  dreadful  looking 
Dragon  either  Zuzu  or  Lulu  had  ever  heard  of  in  all 
their  lives. 

The  head  of  the  Dragon  was  as  large  as  a  two-horse 
carriage  and  its  mouth  was  as  wide  as  a  door;  so  that 
both  of  the  Twins  could  have  stepped  into  the  mouth 
had  they  cared  to  do  so.  As  they  approached,  they  saw 
that  the  roof  of  the  Dragon's  mouth  was  dark  red,  the 
sides  of  its  mouth  and  its  tongue  a  light  red  in  color. 
It  had  teeth  as  long  as  one's  arm.  Fire  at  times  came 
out  of  its  nostrils,  and  its  eyes,  which  were  as  large  as 
bushel  baskets  and  very  bright  red  in  color,  rolled  from 
side  to  side  in  the  most  remarkable  and  threatening 
manner. 

73 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

"  Oh,  I  wish  it  would  stop,"  exclaimed  Lulu,  beginning 
to  cry,  as  the  Dragon  went  on  growling  and  roaring. 

"Arnggh!  Arnggh!"  it  roared,  and  started  up  on  its 
forefeet  as  though  to  talk  to  these  intruders.  As  it  did 
this,  it  moved  its  long  body  quite  to  the  extremity  of 
its  tail,  and  the  Twins  could  hear  its  heavy  scales 
rattling  at  least  fifty  feet  back  in  the  dark  passage 
where  the  rest  of  the  body  and  the  tail  of  the  Dragon 
were  lying.  At  these  sights  and  sounds  it  was  all  the 
Private  Secretary  could  do  to  keep  the  Twins  from 
running  away,  but  he  held  them  tight  by  the  hands. 

"Good  morning,  Jankow,"  said  he  to  the  Dragon. 
"  How  are  you  feeling  to-day?  Does  the  same  tooth  still 
bother  you?" 

"Of  course  it  does,"  said  the  Dragon.  "How  do  you 
suppose  you  would  feel  if  you  had  a  tooth  that  had  been 
bothering  you  for  fifty  years?" 

"I  understand,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "but  thus 
far  the  Royal  Dentist  has  always  declined  to  pay  you  a 
visit,  Jankow,  for  fear  you  would  swallow  him  while  he 
was  at  work." 

The  Dragon  only  roared  a  few  more  times  at  this, 
but  at  length  he  asked,  "  Who  are  these  two  young  per 
sons  you  have  with  you?" 

74 


JANKOW  THE  DRAGON 

"These,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "are  the  Royal 
Hereditary  Twins,  who  have  been  expected  on  the  Island 
for  a  thousand  years.  You  will  see  that  one  has  the 
Royal  Hereditary  malazite  blue  hair,  while  the  other  has 
the  genuine  and  ancient  corazine  green  hair.  Moreover, 
as  you  will  observe,  they  both  bear  the  Royal  Wish 
ing  Wands,  which  all  must  obey.  It  is  the  wish  of  his 
Majesty  that  they  have  a  pleasant  life  upon  our  Island." 

"Well,  I  hope  they  will  have  a  better  time  than  I 
have  had,"  said  the  Dragon  mournfully.  "What  self- 
respecting  Dragon  would  ask  a  place  like  mine?  I  am 
forced  to  obey  the  King  or  he  will  close  my  mouth; 
and  I  am  obliged  to  obey  the  Fairies  in  the  valley  below, 
else  they  will  pinch  my  tail.  And  I  was  once  the  Royal 
Army  of  the  first  King  of  Gee- Whiz,  a  thousand  years 
ago!" 

"You  will  see,  my  young  friends,"  said  the  Private 
Secretary,  "that  Dragons  grow  very  old  and  are  some 
times,  I  fear,  as  short-tempered  as  they  are  long-lived; 
although  I  mean  no  offense  to  Jankow,  who  really  has 
a  tooth  which  should  have  been  extracted,  had  he  not 
been  so  proud  of  retaining  a  full  set  of  teeth.  And  what 
he  says  about  being  the  Royal  Army  is  quite  true." 

"  Indeed,  it  is,"  said  the  Dragon  proudly.  "  I  was  the 
sole  defense  of  this  Island  against  the  Wicked  Fairies 

75 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

a  thousand  years  ago,  but  now  I  am  obliged  to  defend 
the  Fairies  as  well.  Were  it  not  for  me,  they  would  get 
out  of  the  Secret  Valley  and  make  trouble  perhaps  even 
now.  I  keep  everybody  in  on  one  side  and  everybody 
out  on  the  other.  So  I  may  say  that  I  am  still  the  sup 
port  of  this  kingdom,  although  I  am  older  than  I  once 


was." 


"  Oh,  I  see,"  cried  Lulu.  "  That  is  why  they  telephone 
to  the  Fairies." 

"Yes,"  growled  the  Dragon,  "that  is  how  they  get 
around  me.  The  new  King  has  in  some  mysterious  way 
discovered  the  use  of  the  telephone.  It  makes  me  more 
than  ever  discontented  with  my  place.  And  I  can  tell 
them  that  for  a  faithful,  hard-working  Dragon  they'd 
have  a  hard  enough  time  getting  my  superior,  of  that  I 
am  very  sure.  And  all  this  indignity  to  me,  who  lost 
a  limb  in  the  service  of  my  country!" 

"What  does  he  mean  by  that?"  asked  Lulu  of  the 
Private  Secretary. 

"It  is  true,"  said  the  latter.  "He  should  have  eight 
legs,  including  the  two  in  front,  which  are  by  far  the 
largest  and  most  important  of  the  eight.  But  if  you  will 
observe  closely,  you  will  see  that  Jankow's  left  foreleg 
is  of  wood  and  merely  painted  over." 


JANKOW  THE  DRAGON 

"  Yes,  and  needs  a  fresh  coat  of  paint  as  well,"  growled 
the  Dragon,  none  the  less  thrusting  out  his  wooden  leg 
that  all  might  see  it.  "I  am  a  very  much  neglected 
Royal  Army,  as  you  can  readily  see  for  yourself.  More 
over,  this  loss  of  one  of  my  most  important  legs  confines 
me  to  this  spot.  I  have  been  here  for  over  a  thousand 
years.  A  great  many  persons  think  they  would  like 
nothing  so  much  as  to  be  a  Dragon,  but  I  can  tell  them 
that  they  might  not  find  it  so  pleasant  after  all,  for  being 
an  honest  and  hard-working  Dragon  is  no  light  task." 

"  Don't  you  go  to  sleep  each  night?"  asked  Zuzu. 

"  I  never  go  to  sleep  at  all.  For  over  a  thousand 
years  I  have  not  had  a  nap.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
world  can  put  me  to  sleep." 

"Except  one  thing,"  said  the  Private  Secretary, 
smiling. 

The  Dragon  scowled  at  him.  "What  is  the  use  of 
mocking  me?"  it  said.  "Of  course,  I  know  that  the 
Enchanted  Banjo  might  put  me  to  sleep,  but  that  plays 
only  for  the  King;  but  not  until  that  takes  place  does 
any  person  get  by  Jankow,  the  Royal  Dragon." 

"We  quite  trust  you,  Jankow,"  said  the  Private  Sec 
retary,  "and  I  agree  with  you  that  you  are  a  most 
excellent  and  satisfactory  Dragon.  But  now,  my  young 
friends,  if  you  please,  we  would  better  start  back  to  the 

77 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

royal  palace,  for  his  Majesty  will  be  waking  before  long. 
I  only  hope  that  the  royal  Waffles  will  continue  to  be 
satisfactory!" 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  GOLDEN  LADDER  TO  FAIRY-LAND 

The  Widow  Pickle  proved  that  she  had  not  lost  her 
skill  in  the  art  of  baking  Waffles,  and  those  which  she 
furnished  for  the  royal  breakfast-table  could  not  have 
been  surpassed  in  any  land.  After  eating  several  plate- 
fuls,  the  King  had  again  fallen  asleep,  remarking  that 
he  had  not  slept  so  well  for  years.  The  Widow  Pickle 
herself  was  taking  a  nap  in  a  hammock  under  the  trees 
when  the  Twins  finally  returned ;  and,  seeing  that  every 
one  was  fast  asleep  and  they  themselves  left  alone,  they 
presently  wandered  out  a  little  way  into  the  edge  of 

79 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

the  wood,  where  they  sat  down  side  by  side  upon  a  log, 
their  royal  crowns  upon  their  brows  and  the  Royal 
Wishing  Wands  in  their  hands. 

They  sat  thus,  staring  out  over  the  distant  sea. 

"This  is  a  very  strange  and  wonderful  country,"  said 
Zuzu,  "and  I  am  sure  I  should  never  have  expected  to 
be  here,  above  all  places.  I  sometimes  have  to  rub  my 
eyes  to  be  sure  I  am  awake.  Now,  the  very  idea  that  we, 
should  be  so  close  to  actual  Fairies,  to  have  them  all 
about,  or  at  least  within  a  short  walk — that  is  very  strange 
and  hard  for  me  to  believe." 

"  But  we  don't  see  them  anywhere,"  said  Lulu  ruefully. 
"  Now,  Fairies  maybe  very  close  to  one,  indeed  be  almost 
any  place  about,  and  still  one  may  not  see  them.  We 
seem  to  be  very  little  better  off  than  when  we  were  at 
home  over  there;"  and  she  waved  her  hand  toward  the 
distant  blue  sea,  from  the  other  side  of  which  they  had 
come  to  this  strange  Island  of  Gee- Whiz. 

Zuzu  sat  thoughtful  for  a  moment.  "Yet,"  said  he, 
"  here  we  are,  with  thrones  almost  as  good  as  that  of  the 
King,  and  with  Royal  Wishing  Wands,  which  will  bring 
us  anything  we  want  if  we  only  ask  for  it ;  and  you  know 
we  are  allowed  to  telephone  to  the  Fairies." 

"That  is  true,"  cried  Lulu,  "I  had  forgotten  that. 
But  we  must  have  a  web  and  a  Cricket.  A  White 
Cricket  may  be  very  hard  to  find." 

80 


THE  GOLDEN  LADDER  TO  FAIRY-LAND 

"  Perhaps  if  we  got  a  plain  black  one  it  would  do  just 
as  well,"  said  Zuzu.  "  Look,  there  goes  one  now! "  And 
indeed,  as  they  glanced  down  they  saw  a  large  Black 
Cricket  hopping  along  through  the  grass. 

"I  will  get  it,"  cried  Zuzu,  and  sprang  after  it  with 
his  hat  in  his  hand,  soon  returning  with  the  Cricket 
held  in  his  fingers. 

"Now  we  must  have  some  spider  webs,"  said  Lulu, 
forgetting  that  they  were  not  complying  with  the  con 
ditions  the  Private  Secretary  had  told  them.  They  forgot 
to  look  for  a  White  Cricket,  but  eagerly  ran  about  in  the 
grass  searching  for  a  spider  web.  At  length,  under  a 
wide  burdock  leaf,  they  found  one.  "  Here  is  the  Fairy 
Telephone,"  cried  Lulu.  "Quick!  Quick!  Listen!  Let 
us  hear  what  the  Cricket  and  the  spider  say  for  us!" 

So  Zuzu  put  the  Cricket  to  his  ear.  "  Creek!  Creek! " 
said  the  Cricket.  Then,  as  he  listened  very  closely, 
Zuzu  heard  something  very  thin  and  very  far  away  begin 
to  sing  to  him. 

"Aha!"  cried  Zuzu,  "this  is  not  such  a  bad  Cricket 
after  all.  I  shall  call  the  Fairy,  and  we'll  see  what 
it  is,  good  or  bad."  So  he  called  out  in  a  loud  voice 
over  the  Telephone,  "Come,  Fairy,  come!" 

To  their  great  surprise,  as  he  spoke  there  stood  at 
their  feet  a  little  Black  Fairy,  with  pointed  hat,  who 
smiled  and  bowed. 

81 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"Pray,  who  are  you?"  asked  Zuzu. 

"I  am  Gobo,  a  Fairy,"  he  explained.  "What  was  it 
that  you  wished,  good  sir?" 

"  We  wish  to  see  a  Fairy,"  replied  Lulu  eagerly.  "  Are 
you  a  Fairy?" 

"  I  am  one  sort  of  Fairy,"  replied  the  little  one.  "  Un 
happily,  there  are  other  kinds,  as  I  must  admit." 

"  But  we  wish  to  see  the  real  ones,  with  white  wings. 
We  want  to  go  to  the  Valley  of  the  Fairies,  where  we 
may  see  the  Queen  herself  and  learn  how  the  good  Fairies 
live,"  said  Lulu. 

"I  can  be  of  no  use  in  that  case,"  said  the  little  one, 
turning  away  gruffly. 

"But  surely  you  can  help  us  to  get  into  the  Fairy 
Valley!"  cried  Lulu. 

"I  might  get  into  trouble  if  I  did  too  much  talking," 
replied  the  little  one.  "But  why  do  you  ask  me  so 
foolish  and  childish  a  question,  when  you  have  all  the 
means  in  your  power  without  my  aid?" 

"What  do  you  mean?"  cried  Zuzu  eagerly.  "It  is 
true,  we  have  three  wishes  every  week,  though  foolishly, 
like  most  Twins,  we  often  ^vish  the  same  thing,  and  so 
shorten  our  allowance.  In  this  way  we  have  nearly 
used  up  all  our  wishes  for  this  week,  and  I  am  sure  we 
can  not  wait  another  whole  week  before  trying  to  get  to 

82 


THE  GOLDEN  LADDER  TO  FAIRY-LAND 

the  Fairy  Valley,  where  the  Queen  lives  and  whence 
all  the  gold  and  jewels  come." 

"Aha!"  laughed  the  little  black  one.  "Suppose  I 
should  tell  you.  Could  you  keep  the  secret  to  your 
selves?" 

"To  be  sure  we  could,"  cried  both  the  Twins.  "We 
would  not  tell  a  soul  on  the  Island." 

"Then  why  not  go?"  said  the  little  one.  "Have  you 
not  the  Enchanted  Banjo?" 

"We  could  get  it,"  said  Zuzu,  "and  it  plays  for  us." 

"That  I  know,"  said  the  Wicked  Fairy,  "and  with 
the  Enchanted  Banjo  can  you  not  do  all  manner  of 
things?  For  instance,  although  I  do  not  say  it  or  admit 
it,  would  not  the  Enchanted  Banjo  put  the  Dragon  to 
sleep?" 

"  Precisely  what  the  Private  Secretary  said,  and  indeed 
what  the  Dragon  himself  wished! "  said  Zuzu. 

"And  if  the  Dragon  were  asleep,"  said  the  Wicked 
Fairy,  "would  it  not  be  easy  to  unscrew  his  wooden  leg, 
and  leave  him  so  that  he  could  not  get  away,  no  matter 
how  hard  he  tried?  And  if  he  were  helpless,  what  could 
hinder  you  from  slipping  past  him  and  going  down  the 
Golden  Ladder  into  the  Valley  of  the  Fairies,  which  he 
guards  so  faithfully?" 

83 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

" The  Golden  Ladder? "  cried  Lulu.     "  What  is  that ? " 

"You  must  be  a  very  ignorant  person  not  to  know," 
said  the  Fairy.  "That  is  the  stairway  of  the  Fairies, 
very  long  but  not  hard  to  travel,  if  you  know  the  way. 
It  leads  to  the  Fairy  Valley,  that  is  sure;  and  it  is  also 
sure  that  no  person  except  a  Fairy  has  ever  been  down 
that  Golden  Ladder,  no,  not  in  the  thousands  of  years 
that  I  have  lived  on  this  Island;  and  that  is  the  truth 
and  you  may  depend  on  it,  even  if  I  am  called  a  Wicked 
Fairy  and  answer  the  Black  Cricket  instead  of  the  White." 

"But  could  we  ever  get  back  again?"  asked  Zuzu 
fearfully. 

"  That  is  for  you  to  determine,"  said  the  Wicked  Fairy, 
scowling. 

In  his  excitement  over  these  matters  Zuzu  had  let  go 
of  the  Cricket,  which,  finding  itself  at  liberty,  now 
hopped  away  and  crawled  under  a  log.  As  he  stooped 
over  to  pick  up  the  Cricket,  Zuzu  noticed  that  the  Wicked 
Fairy  was  gone ;  so  they  could  ask  no  more  about  this 
matter  of  the  Golden  Ladder  into  the  Valley  of  the  Fairies. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  KING  AND  THE  WICKED  FAIRY 

On  the  morning  following  this  event,  the  King  of  Gee- 
Whiz  woke  in  great  good  humor.  "  I  declare,  I  never 
felt  better  in  my  life,"  said  he  to  his  Private  Secretary, 
"and  I  believe  it  is  all  due  to  those  excellent  Waffles 
which  the  lady  has  made  for  me.  I  must  have  some 
more,  and  that  at  once.  Pray,  tell  her  to  get  ready  my 
breakfast,  and  to  have  not  less  than  two  dozen  Waffles 
at  the  least." 

" Very- good,  your  Majesty,"  said  the  Private  Secre 
tary,  smiling,  and  very  glad  that  he  had  been  able  to  find 
something  so  much  to  the  King's  liking. 

85 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"And  where  are  the  Royal  Hereditary  Twins,  this 
morning?"  asked  the  King.  "They  are,  I  suppose, 
perfectly  happy? " 

"Perfectly,"  replied  the  Private  Secretary,  "as  indeed 
they  ought  to  be.  I  presume  they  are  wandering  some 
where  about  in  the  forest,  as  is  their  custom.  I  need 
hardly  say  that  they  have  already  nearly  exhausted 
their  three  wishes." 

"Well,"  said  the  King,  "we  need  not  fear  they  will 
wish  anything  dangerous.  But  do  you  know,  my  dear 
Jiji,  I  have  been  feeling  rather  nervous  myself  this 
morning." 

"Why,  your  Majesty,  what  can  be  the  trouble?" 

"  I  can  not  call  it  exactly  any  trouble,  for  it  is  a  mere 
uneasiness.  The  truth  is,  I  felt  as  though  there  were 
some  one  behind  my  bed  all  the  morning.  Now,  that 
can  not  possibly  be  the  case." 

"No,  your  Majesty,"  sa'd  the  Private  Secretary, 
"because  I  always  sleep  across  the  door-mat  myself, 
and  it  would  be  impossible  for  any  one  to  reach  your 
Majesty's  bedside  without  my  knowing  it.  Permit  me 
to  suggest  that  perhaps  the  royal  Waffles — " 

"No,  no,"  exclaimed  the  King  decidedly.  "It  is 
not  in  the  least  the  Waffles.  It  is  nothing — only  a  dream, 
perhaps.  Yet  I  wonder  if  any  of  the  Fairies  can  have 

86 


Zuzu  put  the  cricket  to  his  ear        Page  81 


THE  KING  AND  THE  WICKED  FAIRY 

got  out  of  the  valley.  If  I  thought  so,  I  would  have 
Jankow  court-martialed,  and  perhaps  beheaded.  He  is 
getting  a  trifle  too  old  for  a  good  Dragon,  anyhow.'* 

"  Impossible,"  said  the  kind-hearted  Private  Secretary. 
"  I  saw  Jankow  but  yesterday,  and  he  is  as  wide-awake 
as  ever." 

"As  for  myself,"  replied  the  King,  "I  have  not  slept 
so  well  for  a  hundred  years,  although  I  can  not  tell 
whether  it  is  the  Waffles  or  the  syrup." 

"  It  was  a  fortunate  thing,  your  Majesty,  that  you 
found  the  syrup  so  easily,"  said  the  Private  Secretary. 

"Quite  right,"  replied  the  King.  "And  since  it  is 
not  yet  quite  breakfast  time,  I  think  I  shall  just  wander 
out  into  the  woods  and  carry  my  ax,  in  case  I  should 
find '  a  syrup  tree.  Although  I  am  King,  I  believe  in 
every  man  doing  a  little  work  for  himself,  you  know." 

So  saying,  the  King  stepped  out  into  the  edge  of  the 
great  forest  which  surrounded  the  palace,  humming  a 
tune  to  himself,  for  he  felt  very  contented  that  morning. 
He  was  not  aware  that  at  his  side,  hopping  along  as  he 
walked,  was  the  little  Black  Wicked  Fairy  which  had 
been  summoned  by  Zuzu's  thoughtless  message  of  the 
evening  before.  This  Wicked  Fairy,  when  Zuzu  had 
stooped  over  to  find  his  Cricket,  had  merely  slipped  back 
under  a  leaf  and  hidden  himself,  where  he  had  stood 

87 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

laughing  to  himself  at  the  confusion  of  Lulu  and  Zuzu. 
It  seems  to  be  a  peculiarity  of  Wicked  Fairies  never  to 
oblige  any  one  if  they  can  help  doing  so;  and  that  this 
is  true  may  be  seen  from  the  acts  of  this  Wicked  Fairy 
in  regard  to  the  Telephone. 

No  sooner  had  Zuzu  and  Lulu  left  the  forest  on  the 
night  before  than  the  Wicked  Fairy  followed  them  to 
their  own  house  near  the  palace.  He  spied  upon  all  the 
surroundings,  and  soon  discovered  the  sleeping  apart 
ments  of  the  King.  He  hopped  over  the  form  of  the 
Private  Secretary  after  the  latter  had  gone  to  sleep,  and 
so  hid  himself  behind  the  royal  bedstead,  as  the  King 
had  dimly  felt  was  the  case. 

Now,  it  was  not  in  the  power  of  the  Wicked  Fairy 
actually  to  harm  the  King  or  any  other  person,  but  only 
to  encourage  persons  to  do  things  which  would  get  them 
into  trouble.  Thus  it  was  he  who  had  suggested  to  the 
King  to  take  his  ax  and  go  out  into  the  woods  to  find  a 
syrup  tree.  This  was  really  the  worst  thing  in  the 
world  the  King  could  have  done,  as  was  very  soon  to 
be  shown ;  for  it  was  far  from  the  Fairy's  intentions  that 
the  King  should  cut  into  a  real  syrup  tree. 

As  the  King  went  on,  with  his  gold  ax  over  his  shoulder, 
he  was  thinking  of  a  great  many  things  which  he  ought 
to  do,  or  wanted  to  do,  or  did  not  want  to  do.  By  this 

88 


THE  KING  AND  THE  WICKED  FAIRY 

time,  the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  so  that  the  shadow 
of  the  King  appeared  distinctly  upon  the  ground.  Now, 
you  must  know  that  the  shadow  of  a  king  is  very  much 
better  and  bigger  than  the  shadow  of  a  common  person. 
A  king  will  not  cause  a  shadow  in  the  dark,  or  at  least 
very  few  kings  will;  but  in  a  brilliant  place,  even  if 
there  be  intervening  objects,  the  shadow  of  a  king  is 
very  clear  and  distinct.  The  King  of  Gee- Whiz  was 
very  proud  of  his  shadow,  for,  being  a  trifle  vain,  he 
thought  himself  a  very  handsome  man,  and  that,  indeed, 
he  once  had  been;  which  is  the  same  thing,  for  a  King. 
Now,  as  he  looked  down  at  the  ground,  he  saw  his 
shadow  moving  along  at  his  side,  keeping  step  with  him 
regularly  and  looking,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  very  large 
and  handsome.  He  stood  for  a  time  at  an  open  space 
in  the  forest,  with  his  ax  resting  on  a  stump,  looking  with 
pride  on  his  shadow,  which  he  thought  was  quite  the 
most  superior  shadow  he  had  ever  seen.  When  he  made 
a  motion,  the  shadow  made  the  same.  He  raised  his 
hand  to  his  head  in  royal  salute,  and  the  shadow  did 
quite  the  same.  "Even  a  shadow  has  reverence  for 
the  King,"  said  he,  and  he  felt  very  glad  that  he  had  been 
born  a  King,  as  the  position  carried  with  it  many  advan 
tages  of  a  very  obvious  nature. 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"I  don't  see  what  I  could  do  without  my  shadow," 
said  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz.  "  It  and  my  faithful  Private 
Secretary  are  my  best  friends  and  companions,  and 
without  them  I  should  be  very  lonesome ;  for  not  even  a 
King,  I  presume,  could  eat  Waffles  all  the  time.  I  am 
sure  I  should  miss  my  shadow  above  all  things." 

As  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz  said  this,  he  looked  about 
him  uneasily,  with  something  of  the  same  feeling  he  had 
experienced  when  he  thought  some  one  was  behind  his 
bed.  There  was  good  reason  for  this,  for  in  both  cases 
the  Wicked  Fairy  was  directly  at  his  elbow,  although 
the  King  could  not  see  him. 

"Well,  well,"  said  the  King,  "I  will  just  draw  me  a 
jug  of  syrup,  and  I  am  sure  the  exercise  will  do  me  good. 
Even  a  King  must  have  physical  culture,  or  fall  quite 
behind  the  times.  Let  me  see.  Ah,  here  is  a  tree  which 
looks  precisely  like  a  syrup  tree." 

So  saying,  he  laid  about  him  with  his  ax  and  cleared 
a  little  space  so  that  he  could  get  at  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 
It  was  then  that  the  Wicked  Fairy  whispered  in  his  ear, 
although  the  King  did  not  know  it:  "  Cut  into  that  tree, 
the  one  with  the  big  green  leaves!" 

The  King  of  Gee- Whiz,  not  knowing  that  a  Fairy  was 
there,  thought  it  was  his  own  voice  he  had  heard.  "  Eh  ? " 
said  he.  "Ah,  to  be  sure,  this  certainly  is  the  tree. 

90 


THE  KING  AND  THE  WICKED  FAIRY 

So  now  for  a  little  exercise,  and  some  syrup  for  my  break 
fast."  So  saying  he  swung  his  gold  ax  and  cut  deep 
into  the  trunk  of  the  tree  the  Fairy  had  shown  him. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  KING  AND  THE  RUBBER  TREE 

Now,  in  the  forests  of  the  Island  of  Gee- Whiz  are  very 
many  sorts  of  trees — palm  trees,  tall  and  stately,  with 
parasols  at  their  tops;  juju  trees,  with  rough,  sticky  sides 
and  long,  slender  leaves;  and  strawberry  trees,  not  in 
the  least  resembling  our  little  creeping  vines.  There 
are  also  orange  trees,  with  ripe  yellow  oranges,  and  trees 
with  fruit  resembling  chocolate  eclaires,  all  ready  for  eat 
ing,  and  other  trees  which  bear  fruit  much  like  a  char 
lotte  russe.  Besides  these,  there  are  many  trees  such 
as  we  all  know — hickory,  oak,  and  apple  trees,  and  maple 

92 


THE  KING  AND  THE  RUBBER  TREE 

trees,  from  which  maple  sugar  comes.  It  was,  of  course, 
from  the  sugar-maple  tree  that  Zuzu  had  drawn  the  syrup 
for  the  Waffles;  and  that,  of  course,  was  the  kind  of 
tree  into  which  the  King  should  have  cut  with  his  little 
gold  ax.  But,  being  guided  by  this  Wicked  Fairy  whom 
he  could  not  see,  the  King  was  not  aware  of  this.  The 
truth  is  that,  as  he  swung  his  ax  and  cut  into  the  tree 
before  him,  it  was  not  a  maple  tree  at  all,  but  a  rubber 
tree.  As  he  struck  the  trunk,  to  his  great  surprise, 
there  gushed  out  not  a  pale,  sticky  syrup,  but  a  fresh- 
looking  liquid,  which  resembled  milk. 

"Bless  my  soul  and  body!"  said  the  King.  "That 
does  not  look  right." 

"Oh,  yes,  it  does,"  whispered  the  Wicked  Fairy  in 
his  ear. 

"Eh?  What?"  said  the  King,  still  not  knowing  it  was 
a  Fairy.  "Yes,  I  suppose  this  must  be  right.  In  any 
case,  I  will  taste  it  and  see."  So  he  held  out  his  cup  and 
caught  it  full  of  the  rubber  juice  and  drank  a  deep  draft 
of  it.  To  his  great  surprise,  he  began  to  feel  very  strange. 

"Bless  my  soul  and  body!"  exclaimed  the  King  to 
himself.  "This  is  most  extraordinary.  I  must  say  that 
I  feel  strange,  quite  strange,  I  do  indeed.  Why,  this 
is  not  in  the  least  like  the  syrup  I  tasted  yesterday 
morning.  I  wonder  if  I  could  have  made  a  mistake." 

93 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

"It  is  no  mistake,"  whispered  the  Fairy,  "that  is  the 
right  tree." 

"Eh?  What?"  said  the  King.  "Oh,  yes,  so  it  is,  so 
it  is.  At  first,  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  syrup  was  not 
the  same." 

"Take  some  more,"  whispered  the  Wicked  Fairy;  and 
the  King,  still  not  knowing  there  was  a  Wicked  Fairy 
there,  did  so,  this  time  taking  a  deep  draft. 

"Bless  my  soul  and  body!"  cried  he  this  time.  "I 
begin  to  feel  very  strange,  very  strange  indeed.  I  feel 
really  light-headed." 

He  looked  down  at  his  shadow,  but  the  shadow  still 
was  there,  keeping  time  with  every  motion,  so  that  he 
felt  much  comforted. 

"My  shadow  is  just  the  same,"  said  the  King,  "so 
everything  must  be  all  right.  But,  dear  me,  what  is 
the  matter  with  my  leg?" 

The  King  had,  in  stepping  back  from  the  tree,  caught 
his  foot  between  two  roots,  and  now,  instead  of  releasing 
his  foot  when  he  pulled  at  it,  he  saw,  to  his  great  surprise, 
that  he  was  stretching  his  leg  out  to  twice  its  natural 
length. 

"  Dear  me! "  he  said,  as  he  moved  back  and  sat  down 
on  a  log,  looking  in  curiosity  at  his  leg,  which  was  now 
about  ten  or  perhaps  eleven  feet  long  and  much  thinner 

94 


THE  KING  AND  THE  RUBBER  TREE 

than  before.  "  Bless  my  soul  and  body!  If  I  were  not 
the  King  and  quite  wide-awake,  I  should  say  that  some 
thing  was  happening  to  me,  I  should  indeed.  This 
impresses  me  as  being  most  extraordinary.  Where  is 
my  shadow?"  He  looked  around  and  there  was  the 
shadow  just  the  same,  with  its  leg  as  long  as  his,  which 
made  the  King  again  feel  very  much  better. 

"It  does  not  hurt,"  said  the  King,  shaking  his  head; 
and  the  shadow  also  shook  its  head  to  show  that  it  was. 
not  in  any  pain. 

"Take  another  drink,"  whispered  the  Wicked  Fairy 
to  the  King. 

"Well,  if  it  does  not  hurt  any,"  said  the  King  to  him 
self,  "  and  since  the  thing  is  so  curious,  I  will  take  another 
sip  of  the  syrup,  I  believe."  He  did  so,  and  this  time  his 
hand,  which  had  rested  on  the  tree,  remained  there  when 
he  went  back  to  the  log  to  sit  down,  his  arm  stretching 
out  as  long  as  his  leg.  This  was  very  much  to  the  King's 
surprise.  He  gave  a  sharp  jerk,  and  both  arm  and  leg 
shortened  as  they  flew  back  quite  as  .though  they  had 
been  fast  to  a  strong  rubber  cord.  At  this  the  King 
perspired  a  trifle  and  moved  away  toward  the  other  end 
of  the  log,  looking  down  at  his  hand  and  foot  as  he  did 
so.  To  his  great  surprise,  as  he  sat  down  on  the  log, 
he  felt  himself  gently  bounce  up  again  in  the  air,  and 

95 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

this  was  repeated  each  time  as  he  struck  the  log,  so  that 
it  was  some  moments  before  he  could  really  settle  down. 
Even  then  he  felt  very  touchy  and  insecure,  so  that  he 
scarcely  dared  draw  a  long  breath.  Indeed,  when  at 
length  he  did  draw  a  long  breath,  he  found,  to  his  great 
surprise,  that  his  chest  swelled  out  like  a  small  balloon, 
so  that  he  was  more  than  three  times  as  large  around 
as  he  was  before.  He  was  much  alarmed  at  this,  but 
smiled  again  when  he  saw  that  his  shadow  was  quite  as 
large  as  himself. 

" Bless  my  soul  and  body!"  said  the  King  to  himself, 
"  I  wonder  if  they  will  know  me  now.  This  is  what  I 
•call  great  good  fortune!  The  truth  is  that  I  have  always 
felt  larger  than  I  really  looked,  so  I  am  very  glad 
I  cut  into  this  tree  and  got  a  taste  of  something  to  make 
me  grow  to  my  real  size.  I  have  long  looked  for  some 
thing  of  precisely  this  sort/' 

"  Why  not  get  up  and  dance? "  asked  the  Wicked  Fairy 
in  his  ear. 

"Eh?  What?"  said  the  King.  "Dance?  Oh,  yes,  I 
certainly  am  happy  enough  to  dance  at  this  new  discovery. 
Indeed,  my  spirits  have  at  no  time  felt  more  elastic  than 
at  the  present  moment.  So,  since  there  is  nothing  to 
prevent  it,  I  think  I  will  do  a  royal  step  or  two  to  pass 
away  the  time  before  breakfast." 

96 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  KING  LOSES  HIS  SHADOW 

The  King  of  Gee- Whiz  stepped  out  into  an  open  space 
in  the  forest,  and,  to  his  very  great  surprise,  observed 
that  he  could  not  feel  his  feet  touch  the  ground.  This 
was  really  because  he  was  so  full  of  rubber,  although  he 
himself  had  no  idea  of  any  such  thing  at  all.  He  was 
conscious  only  of  feeling  that  he  had  all  along  been  a 
greater  King  than  he  had  had  credit  for  being.  So  he 
hummed  a  tune  to  himself  as  he  began  to  dance. 

There  was  probably  never  a  dance  just  such  as  this 
which  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz  now  began.  Had  he  him- 

97 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

self  seen  it  from  a  distance,  he  would  have  been  sure 
that  it  was  not  the  performance  of  a  dignified  and  res 
pectable  King.  He  sprang  from  one  foot  to  the  other, 
and  each  time  he  touched  the  ground  he  rebounded  into 
the  air  a  dozen  feet,  or  possibly  even  more.  He  alighted 
upon  both  feet,  muttering  as  he  did  so  an  exclamation 
of  delight,  for,  strange  as  that  may  seem,  he  was  enjoying 
himself  very  much.  Each  time  that  both  his  feet  struck 
the  ground  he  went  into 'the  air  just  twice  as  far  as  when 
only  one  foot  was  so  employed.  He  slapped  his  arms 
upon  his  chest,  and  as  he  did  this,  to  his  great  surprise, 
a  squeak  came  out  of  his  mouth  exactly  similar  to  that 
which  comes  from  the  hole  in  a  rubber  ball  when  you 
squeeze  it.  This  startled  him  at  first,  but  he  was  too 
busy  to  think  about  it  long. 

He  sprang  from  side  to  side ;  and  whereas  in  a  common 
dancing  step  a  King  goes  scarcely  more  than  two  or 
three  feet  at  a  stride,  the  King  now  would  step  at  least 
a  dozen  feet,  or,  for  that  matter,  perhaps  twenty.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  limit  to  the  length  of  the  steps  he  could 
take ;  and  whenever  he  took  a  step  he  bounded  high  into 
the  air,  at  times  having  difficulty  in  keeping  himself 
from  turning  quite  over  in  the  air.  Indeed,  the  tempta 
tion  to  turn  hand-springs  and  somersaults  as  he  had  done 
when  a  boy  became  so  strong  upon  him  that  only  his 


THE  KING  LOSES  HIS  SHADOW 

great  kingly  dignity  served  to  prevent  his  doing  that 
very  thing. 

"Aha!"  cried  the  King,  "this  certainly  is  fine."  At 
least  these  are  the  words  which  he  wished  to  say,  although 
all  that  he  could  hear  were  several  sharp  whistles  as  the 
breath  came  out  of  his  mouth. 

The  King  sprang  up  and  down  very  hard,  anxious  to 
see  how  high  he  could  go  into  the  air.  To  his  great  sur 
prise,  he  found  that  by  making  several  leaps  up  and  down 
he  could  easily  bound  upward  as  high  as  the  top  of  the 
tallest  palms.  This  pleased  him  very  much,  as  in  this 
position  he  secured  a  wider  view  of  his  own  possessions 
than  he  had  ever  had  in  his  life  before. 

"I  shall  come  back  here  once  in  a  while,"  said  the  King 
to  himself,  "  and  have  another  drink  at  that  rubber  tree, 
if  this  dose  wears  off  after  a  while.  This  really  is  won 
derful.  It  enlarges  my  outlook  upon  life  many-fold, 
and  although  I  have  previously  to  this  felt  very  much 
of  a  King,  I  now  begin  to  understand  how  much  I  have 
underrated  my  own  abilities  in  every  line  of  activity. 
But,  by  the  way,"  he  added  to  himself,  "this  exercise 
is  affecting  the  royal  appetite.  I  think  I'll  step  over 
and  have  my  breakfast." 

So  in  one  or  two  long  strides  he  walked  over  to  the 
palace  and  called  aloud  to  his  Private  Secretary  and  to 

99 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

the  Widow  Pickle.  To  his  great  surprise,  when  he  called 
aloud,  the  King  could  not  speak  a  word,  but  could  only 
whistle.  He  put  up  his  hand  to  his  face  to  feel  what 
was  the  matter  with  his  voice,  but  of  course  he  could 
not  feel  anything  about  his  voice.  He  did,  however, 
observe,  very  much  to  his  annoyance,  that  his  royal 
aquiline  nose  had  quite  disappeared,  that  his  mouth 
now  extended  quite  across  his  face,  that  his  ears  were 
small  and  almost  gone  into  his  head,  and  that  for  a  fore 
head  nothing  remained  but  a  wide,  round  expanse, 
which  he  could  easily  dent  with  his  thumb.  In  short, 
he  resembled,  to  the  touch  at  least,  although,  of  course, 
he  could  not  see  himself,  nothing  in  the  world  so  much 
as  a  large,  soft,  rubber  ball,  hollow  and  inflated,  and  with 
legs  and  arms  attached. 

When  the  King  realized  this  and  found  also  that  his 
voice  was  gone,  a  sudden  fear  fell  upon  him.  "  My  soul 
and  body!"  thought  he  to  himself,  "can  this  be  true? 
If  so,  I  am  in  the  worst  sort  of  a  situation,  for  no  one 
will  recognize  me!"  So  saying,  he  sank  down  upon  the 
ground  near  the  palace  door,  and  after  a  number  of 
bounces  up  and  down  at  last  settled  into  an  attitude  of 
Deep  Thought. 

After  the  King  had  thought  for  quite  a  time,  he  hap 
pened  to  look  upon  the  ground  before  him.  To  his  great 

100 


THE  KING  LOSES  HIS  SHADOW 

surprise,  there  was  no  shadow  there.  He  had  not  known 
that  all  along  it  had  been  the  intention  of  the  Wicked 
Fairy  to  steal  his  shadow.  Such,  however,  had  been 
the  case.  While  the  King  was  at  the  top  of  one  of  hi& 
highest  bounds,  the  Wicked  Fairy,  who  had  remained 
upon  the  ground  below,  took  the  opportunity  to  remove 
his  shadow  from  beneath  him;  so  that  after  that  the  King 
cast  no  shadow  at  all.  Just  how  this  was  done  it  is 
hard  to  say.  Perhaps  the  Chemist,  Aurelius  Pickle, 
who  knew  many  strange  things,  could  have  told  how 
this  occurred,  but  he,  being  dead,  could  not  be  asked. 
It  may  be  that  as  the  King  was  stretched  out  to  thrice 
his  natural  height,  he  was  thrice  his  natural  thinness, 
and  that  the  shadow  also  became  three  times  as  thin, 
and  so  was  easy  to  take  away.  In  any  case,  certainly 
the  Wicked  Fairy  had  removed  the  King's  shadow,  and, 
of  course,  with  it  the  White  Cricket  which  had  always 
lived  in  that  shadow.  When  the  King  looked  down  and 
saw  what  had  happened,  he  fell  back  in  a  deep  swoon 
of  terror. 

For  a  moment  all  was  still;  then  there  came  from 
somewhere  off  in  the  distance,  the  doleful  tones  of  the; 
Enchanted  Banjo. 

101 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 
SORROWFUL  SONG  OF   THE   SHADOWLESS    KING 

If  you  find  my  shadow,  O  bring  it  straight  to  me ! 
A  shadowless  King  is  compelled  to  be  gloomy; 
I  sit  in  the  sun  and  I  sob  in  my  sorrow 
And  wonder  if  I'll  have  a  shadow  to-morrow. 

I've  lost  my  shadow; 
My  heart  is  sad,  O! 
I  would  be  glad,  O! 
If  I  but  had,  O! 
My  shadow. 

I  look  in  the  corners,  I  hunt  through  my  palace ; 
I  grieve  that  my  shadow  was  stolen  through  malice — 
Just  think,  if  you  please,  of  a  life  sad  and  hollow! 
When  I  take  a  walk  there's  no  shadow  to  follow. 

I've  lost  my  shadow; 
It  is  too  bad,  0 ! 
It  makes  me  mad,  O ! 
To  think  I  had,  O ! 
My  shadow. 

My  shadow  was  ever  a  thing  of  great  beauty ; 
It  did  all  I  did,  as  was  its  bounden  duty; 
It  echoed  my  sitting  and  standing  and  walking, 
My  riding  and  ruling,  and  all  but  my  talking. 

I've  lost  my  shadow; 
It  makes  me  sad,  O! 
I  would  be  glad,  O! 
If  I  but  had,  0! 

My  shadow. 

102 


The  King  was  very  proud  of  his  shadow        Page  8g 


CHAPTER  XIX 

TROUBLES  AT  THE  ROYAL  PALACE 

About  the  time  these  events  were  happening  the  Widow 
Pickle  was  preparing  to  make  ready  the  King's  breakfast. 
As  she  came  from  her  house  and  approached  the  palace, 
her  eyes  rested  upon  the  prostrate  body  of  the  King. 

"This,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle,  "is  the  strangest 
looking  object  I  ever  saw  in  all  my  life.  I  wonder 
what  it  is." 

At  this  time  there  came  around  the  corner  of  the 
palace  the  Private  Secretary  of  the  King.  "Good 
morning,  Widow  Pickle,"  said  the  Private  Secretary. 

103 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"  Have  you  seen  his  Royal  Highness  anywhere  this 
morning?  It  is  nearly  his  breakfast  hour,  and  no  one 
knows  where  he  is." 

"I  don't  know  either,"  said  the  Widow  Pickle;  "but 
I  do  know  that  it  is  scandalously  late  for  any  decent  King 
to  be  lying  abed.  But  tell  me,  what  is  this  thing  lying 
here,  do  you  suppose?" 

As  she  spoke,  she  gave  the  King  a  poke  with  her  foot, 
which  immediately  made  him  resolve  to  have  her  beheaded. 
The  King  recognized  his  Private  Secretary  and  made 
frantic  efforts  to  speak  to  him,  all  the  time  gesticulating 
in  the  wildest  manner;  but  all  he  could  do  was  to  squeak 
as  before;  and  the  worst  of  it  was  that,  as  he  became 
excited,  he  began  again  to  bound  up  and  down  in  the 
most  violent  manner. 

"Mercy  on  us!"  said  the  Widow  Pickle.  "I  didn't 
know  it  was  alive!  What  do  you  suppose  it  is?" 

The  Private  Secretary  took  a  second  look  and  turned 
deathly  pale. 

"Madam,"  said  he  in  a  whisper,  "it  is  none  less  than 
his  Royal  Highness,  though  what  has  come  to  him  I 
can  not  say.  But  that  it  is  the  King  I  can  swear  by  these 
two  fingers  on  his  hands  and  by  the  pink  strawberry 
mark  upon  his  shoulder." 

104 


TROUBLES  AT  THE  ROYAL  PALACE 

"Your  Majesty!"  cried  the  faithful  Private  Secretary, 
"calm  yourself,  I  beseech  you.  Pray  be  seated." 

The  King  continued  to  bound  up  and  down. 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "how 
came  you  in  this  unfortunate  condition?  I  am  very 
much  distressed,  indeed,  your  Majesty.  But  will  you  not 
be  seated?" 

The  King  violently  shook  his  head  and  resumed  his 
agitation,  until  at  length  the  Private  Secretary  grasped 
him  by  one  arm  and  so  at  last  brought  him  to  a  stop 
and  placed  him  upon  the  Royal  Throne. 

"Why,  your  Majesty,"  said  the  Private  Secretary, 
"you  are  light  as  a  feather!  Pray,  tell  me,  how  has  this 
happened?" 

The  King  could  only  squeak  as  before,  but  now  he 
made  a  violent  motion  toward  his  feet.  The  Private 
Secretary  understood  him,  as  any  good  Private  Secretary 
should  be  able  to  understand  even  the  inmost  thoughts 
of  his  King. 

"Quite  right,  your  Majesty,"  said  he.  "I  shall  send 
at  once  for  the  Court  Physician." 

So  presently  the  Court  Physician  came  up  on  a  run, 
and,  seeing  what  was  the  trouble,  took  his  keen  lancet 
and  bled  the  King  in  his  royal  left  foot.  At  once 
there  was  a  sharp,  hissing  sound,  and  the  dimensions 

105 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

of  the  King  began  to  subside.  In  a  few  moments  he  had 
shrunk  to  such  a  size  that  he  could  be  recognized  by  all 
But  now  he  was  in  such  a  rage  that  he  could  not  make 
himself  understood,  but  merely  spluttered.  Then  he  was 
for  beheading  the  Widow  Pickle  at  once  for  kicking  him 
while  he  was  helpless.  Then  he  changed  his  mind,  and 
ordered  everybody  banished  from  the  Island  except 
himself.  This  notion  also  passed,  and  he  at  length 
became  more  calm. 

"Your  Majesty,  it  was  all  those  Waffles,"  cried  the 
Court  Physician,  who  was  jealous  of  the  Widow  Pickle. 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  declared  the  Widow  Pickle.     "  That 
was  never  said  of  my  Waffles  before,  as  I  am  an  honest 


woman/1 


The  King  was  a  just  Monarch,  after  all,  and  presently 
admitted  it  was  not  the  Waffles,  but  what  he  had  taken 
to  be  the  syrup,  which  he  was  now  ready  to  agree  was 
perhaps  a  foreign  substance  of  a  dangerous  nature.  He 
explained  the  appearance  of  the  tree  from  which  he  had 
taken  the  liquid,  and  the  Court  Physician  in  post-haste 
set  off  to  the  forest.  He  returned  at  length  quite  out  of 
breath,  and  assured  the  King  that  he  had  examined  the 
tree  and  found  that  it  was  not  a  syrup  tree  or  Arbor 
saccharinus,  but  a  rubber  tree,  Arbor  elasticus  horribil- 
iensis,  whose  juice  was  capable  of  the  most  singular 
consequences  when  taken  into  the  human  system. 

106 


TROUBLES  AT  THE  ROYAL  PALACE 

"That  explains  all,"  said  the  King,  who  was  now 
leaning  weakly  back  upon  the  throne,  very  weary  and 
pale;  "all  but  one  thing."  As  he  spoke,  he  slowly  and 
tremblingly  turned  his  head  and  looked  upon  the  ground 
to  see  if  he  could  discover  his  shadow. 

"Look!    Look!"  cried  the  King,  pointing  before  him. 

The  Court  Physician  and  the  Private  Secretary  both 
looked  but  could  see  nothing. 

"  There  is  nothing  there,  your  Majesty,"  said  the  Court 
Physician. 

"Nothing  there!"  exclaimed  the  King.  "Of  course 
there  is  nothing  there — why,  my  soul  and  body!  can't 
you  see  my  royal  shadow  is  gone?" 

They  looked  again,  and,  to  their  great  surprise,  saw  it 
was  quite  as  the  King  had  said.  They  looked  all  around, 
back  of  the  throne,  in  front  of  it,  and  under  it,  and  behind 
the  door,  but,  seek  as  they  might,  could  find  no  trace  of 
the  royal  shadow. 

"This,"  said  the  King,  "is  very  terrible.  I  have  been 
attached  to  that  shadow  for  so  long  that  I  am  sure  I 
do  not  know  what  I  shall  do  without  it.  Why,  I  feel 
so  lonesome!  Tell  me  what  I  shall  do,  tell  me  at  once! 
Why  do  I  employ  an  expensive  Court  Physician  and  a 
Private  Secretary,  if  they  are  not  able  to  tell  me  what 
to  do  in  a  case  like  this?" 

107 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"If  your  Majesty  will  pardon  me,"  said  the  Court 
Physician,  "I  would  suggest  that  this  is  rather  the  work 
of  the  Court  Detective." 

"Nonsense!"  said  the  King.  "Jiji,  do  you  go  at  once 
to  the  Court  Tailor  and  Royal  Robe  Maker  and  have 
him  take  my  measure  for  a  new  shadow.  And  now  bring 
me  my  Waffles  immediately,  my  good  woman,  for  I  am 
very  much  exhausted  by  all  these  trying  circumstances." 


108 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  ROYAL  TWINS 

In  the  meantime,  it  hardly  need  be  said,  the  Wicked 
Fairy  had  fled  far  away  with  the  King's  shadow,  so  that 
there  was  not  the  slightest  use  in  looking  for  it  about 
the  palace.  In  the  meantime,  also,  the  advice  of  the 
Wicked  Fairy  to  the  Twins  had  been  productive  of 
further  trouble.  Hardly  had  the  two  well  arisen  from 
their  beds  before  they  began  to  whisper  together  about 
certain  plans. 

First,  they  got  possession  of  the  Enchanted  Banjo; 
for  it  hardly  need  be  said  that  they  now  proposed  a 
journey  to  the  Valley  of  the  Fairies,  and  without  the 

109 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

Banjo  they  could  not  put  the  Dragon  Jankow  to  sleep. 
The  Private  Secretary,  excited  over  the  condition  of  the 
King,  did  not  miss  the  Banjo,  so  Lulu  and  Zuzu  had  no 
difficulty  in  taking  it  away. 

"Pray,  where  are  you  going  with  me?"  asked  the 
.Enchanted  Banjo  of  the  Twins. 

"Where  should  we  be  going,"  replied  Zuzu,  "if  not  to 
the  Valley  of  the  Fairies?  Will  you  not  go  with  us?" 

"With  all  my  heart,"  said  the  Enchanted  Banjo,  "for 
it  was  in  that  Valley  that  I  was  born.  You  may  depend 
upon  me;  but  we  shall  need  to  be  very  careful  indeed." 

By  this  time,  as  the  Twins  walked  on  their  way  through 
the  forest,  they  began  to  hear  the  voice  of  the  Dragon 
— "  Arrnghgh!  Arrnghgh! " — but  they  went  on  as  bravely 
as  they  could,  and  presently  were  directly  before  the 
Dragon,  which  again  reared  and  rattled  its  long  body 
covered  with  heavy  scales.  This  was  a  fearful  sight, 
but  Zuzu  and  Lulu  tightly  grasped  the  Enchanted 
Banjo,  and  it  began  to  play: 

THE  LULLABY  OF  ENCHANTMENT 

Ho,  Little  Wind,  come  out  of  the  west 
And  whisper  the  song  that  is  laden  with  rest. 
The  world  is  a- weary, 

The  day  has  been  long 
So  sing  for  my  dearie 
A  lullaby-song. 

no  \ 


THE   DISAPPEARANCE   OF  THE    ROYAL  TWINS 

Lullaby,  lullaby,  soft  and  low, 
For  that  is  the  way  that  the  Fairy -horns  blow; 
And  thither  and  hither  and  thither  and  here 
The  Fairies  bring  dreams  for  the  sleep  of  my  dear. 
Lullaby,  lullaby,  low. 

Ho,  Little  Wind,  you  may  creep,  if  you  will 
Where  the  willows  bend  low  at  the  foot  of  the  hill ; 
The  flowers  are  closing, 

They  drowse  in  the  dew — 
And  dozing,  and  dozing, 
They  wait  now  for  you. 

Lullaby,  lullaby,  soft  and  deep ; 
The  stars  far  away  now  are  climbing  the  steep, 
And  out  of  the  silence  is  wafted  a  croon 
That  murmurs  in  mellowness  under  the  moon. 
Sleep-i-ly,  sleep-i-ly,  sleep. 

At  the  first  verse  of  this  song,  the  Dragon  began  to 
beat  time  with  his  good  foreleg;  then  it  began  to  nod 
a  little,  and  then  it  yawned  very  wide  and  deep,  until 
one  could  see  very  far  down  into  its  hollow  throat.  "  Dear 
me! "  said  the  Dragon,  "  I  feel  very  drowsy  this  morning. 
I  think  I  must  have  a  bit  of  spring  fever." 

"Play  again,"  whispered  Zuzu  to  the  Enchanted 
Banjo.  So  the  Banjo  played  again: 

Ho,  Little  Wind,  sing  it  gently  and  sweet; 
.  Come,  hum  through  the  vines  till  the  echoes  repeat 

The  words  you  are  singing, 

in 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

And  on  through  the  night 
Go  swinging  and  swinging 
Away  to  the  light. 

Lullaby,  lullaby,  low  and  low — 
That  is  the  way  that  the  Fairy-songs  go, 
And  that  is  the  way  that  the  sleepy-song  sighs 
Till  the  magical  spell  sets  its  seal  on  our  eyes. 
Lullaby,  lullaby,  low. 


By  this  time,  the  Dragon  was  openly  nodding  at  its 
post  of  duty.  Its  head  would  fall  down,  and  then  it 
would  waken  and  jerk  its  head  upright  again  and  frown 
at  them  as  though  they  had  accused  it  of  being  asleep 
when  nothing  of  the  sort  was  true.  At  last,  it  laid  its 
head  down  upon  a  rock  for  a  pillow  and  went  fast  asleep, 
snoring  so  loudly  that  it  might  have  been  heard  at  least 
the  distance  of  a  mile. 

"  Quick!  Quick! "  cried  Zuzu,  when  they  saw  the  great 
Dragon  was  indeed  asleep.  "Give  me  the  screw-driver 
from  the  lunch  basket,  quick! " 

Lulu  felt  in  the  basket  which  she  carried  and  found  the 
screw-driver,  and  at  once  Zuzu  sprang  to  the  ^ide  of  the 
Dragon  and  with  a  few  strokes  unscrewed  the  wooden 
leg  of  the  Dragon  close  up  to  the  shoulder. 

"Now,"  cried  Zuzu,  "hurry,  and  soon  we  shall  be  at 
the  Valley." 

112 


THE  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  ROYAL  TWINS 

So  now  they  stepped  close  to  the  side  of  the  sleeping 
Dragon  and  edged  past  through  the  long,  narrow  pass 
ageway  where  the  great  tail  lay  curled  up.  They  jumped 
close  against  the  wall  whenever  the  Dragon  stirred  in 
his  sleep,  and  for  the  last  few  paces  of  the  passage  they 
almost  ran.  But  the  Dragon  did  not  waken  and  they 
got  through  in  safety.  Then,  to  their  great  surprise, 
they  found  themselves  directly  at  the  top  of  a  long, 
narrow,  golden  ladder,  which  fell  straight  down,  down 
from  the  edge  of  a  break  in  the  rocky  floor.  It  extended 
down  farther  than  they  could  see,  until  finally  its  two 
sides  seemed  to  unite  in  a  shining  thread  of  gold  far  below. 

"  This,"  said  Zuzu,  "  must  be  the  Fairy  Ladder.  Quick, 
before  the  Dragon  wakens! " 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  JOURNEY  TO  FAIRY-LAND 

Nobody  can  tell  how  far  the  Twins  went  down  the 
Golden  Ladder  before  they  dared  to  stop.  It  may  have 
been  an  hour  or  two  hours  ^  before  they  began  to  get  so 
tired  that  it  seemed  they  could  go  no  further,  no  matter 
what  might  happen.  They  looked  up  at  the  Ladder 
down  which  they  had  come,  and,  to  their  great  surprise, 
they  could  no  longer  see  the  top  of  it;  the  sides  of  the 
rocky  walls  seemed  to  come  together  above  them,  just 
as  they  still  did  below  them.  It  seemed  to  them  that 
they  were  in  the  middle  of  the  world.  They  did  not 

114 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  FAIRY-LAND 

dare  to  try  to  climb  back  again,  for  they  were  too  tired. 
They  also  feared  to  go  any  further  down,  because  that 
took  them  further  away  from  their  mother  and  from 
the  only  sort  of  world  which  they  had  ever  known.  As 
they  realized  the  situation  into  which  their  eagerness 
had  brought  them,  they  both  began  to  cry. 

This  was  a  very  sad  situation  for  the  Twins,  but 
it  shows  how  very  hard  it  always  is  to  get  into  the  secret 
places  where  the  Fairies  live.  If  it  is  not  hard  in  one  way, 
it  always  is  in  another.  Just  at  this  time,  however, 
help  came  to  Zuzu  and  Lulu  in  a  way  which  they  did 
not  expect.  The  Enchanted  Banjo  began  to  play  a 
tune  of  a  very  cheerful  sort,  which  ran  something  like 
the  following  words,  as  nearly  as  can  be  told: 

THE  JEALOUS  JUMPING  JACK 

There  was  a  Jealous  Jumping  Jack 

That  told  the  other  Toys: 
"None  of  you  has  my  clever  knack — 

You're  only  good  for  noise." 
The  Humming  Top,  the  Horn,  the  Drum, 

The  Bell,  and  Talking  Doll, 
He  told:     "You  screech  and  clang  and  hum — 

You  can  not  jump  at  all!" 

They  looked  at  him  in  great  surprise 
And  did  not  answer  back, 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

And  then  great  rage  began  to  rise 

Within  the  Jumping  Jack. 
"Now,  look  at  me!"  he  cried,  and  humped, 

And  pulled  his  legs  'way  down, 
Then  gave  a  spring  and  madly  jumped 

Away,  out  of  Toy  town. 

The  Horn  blew  loud,  the  Red  Top  hummed 

The  Talking  Doll  called:  "Stop!" 
The  Bell  rang,  and  the  gay  Drum  drummed, 

But  still  he  would  not  drop. 
The  Jumping  Jack  jumped  on  and  on 

Although  for  him  they  yearned ; 
They  know  not  where  'tis  he  has  gone — 

He  never  has  returned. 

They  say — but  I  don't  think  it's  true — 

That  little  girls  and  boys 
Sometimes  grow  rudely  jealous,  too, 

As  do  some  foolish  Toys. 


Zuzu  and  Lulu  were  very  much  encouraged  at  hearing 
the  Banjo  once  more,  and  so  they  dried  their  tears. 

"Cheer  up,  my  young  friends,"  said  the  Banjo,  "and 
look  about  you.  To  me  it  seems  very  strange  that 
Twins  with  Royal  Hereditary  Hair  should  not  be  able 
to  see  the  resting-place  cut  here  in  the  rock." 

Zuzu  and  Lulu  both  looked  about  them,  and  there, 
in  the  face  of  the  rocky  wall  along  which  the  Golden 
Ladder  hung  suspended,  they  saw  a  little  room  or  cave, 

116 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  FAIRY-LAND 

and  to  this  there  led  from  the  Ladder  a  sort  of  platform 
made  up  of  rungs  or  rounds.  Very  quickly  they 
stepped  over  this  short  horizontal  ladder  and  sat  down 
in  the  shade  of  the  chamber  into  which  they  stepped. 

"Dear  me,"  said  Lulu,  "my  arms  are  tired.  I  don't 
believe  I  could  have  carried  this  basket  another  minute.'* 

"And  my  feet,"  said  Zuzu,  "are  nearly  cut  in  two 
by  the  rounds  of  the  Ladder.  This  Dragon's  leg  is  very 
heavy,  and,  now  that  I  think  of  it,  I  don't  see  why  I 
carried  it  at  all,  for  when  one  stops  to  reason  it  out,, 
there  seems  very  little  use  in  the  wooden  leg  of  a  Dragon 
for  any  one  but  the  Dragon  itself.  Let  us  leave  it  here 
and  take  it  up  when  we  go  back." 

"That  would  be  a  sensible  thing,"  said  Lulu.  "I 
think  it  also  would  be  very  sensible  if  we  ate  our  lunch 
now,  for  then  the  basket  would  be  much  lighter." 

They  ate  their  lunch,  which  tasted  very  good,  as  they 
were  hungry  after  their  long  climb. 

"Now,"  said  Zuzu,  "let  us  ask  the  Enchanted  Banjo 
to  play  for  us  again,  and  perhaps  that  will  make  our 
hearts  lighter  also,  and  then  we  shall  certainly  climb- 
very  easily." 

So  now  they  placed  the  two  pieces  of  the  Banjo  together 
again  and  it  began  to  play  for  them  a  lively  air,  which 
had  in  it  some  strange  things  which  they  had  not  hitherto- 
heard. 

117 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 
HOW  THE  BIRDS  LEARN  TO  SING 

Once  on  a  time,  long,  long  ago 

I  went  to  singing-school 
Where  all  the  wee  birds  in  a  row 

Learned  to  obey  each  rule ; 
The  teacher  was  a  Parrot  wise 

For  he  alone  could  talk — 
He  flapped  his  wings  and  blinked  his  eyes 

And  scolded  at  the  Hawk. 

And  the  Crow  and  the  Wren 

And  the  little  Fat  Hen 

And  the  Sparrow  and  Thrush  and  Jay 
Were  taught  how  the  notes 
Should  come  from  their  throats 

In  quite  the  particular  way. 

The  Parrot  taught  the  Dove  to  coo, 

The  little  Chicks  to  cheep, 
The  Owl  to  screech  and  sing  "Too  whoo!" 

The  Whippoorwill  to  weep ; 
He  taught  the  Lark  to  run  the  scales 

And  trill  with  great  delight; 
He  had  a  class  of  Baby  Quails 

That  whistled  at  "bob-white!" 

And  the  Hen  learned  to  "cluck;" 
"Quack-quack"   sang  the   Duck; 

Till  the  Parrot  at  last  called  "Hush!" 
And  the  echoes  all  rang, 
When  the  Bobolink  sang, 

A  duet  with  the  little  Brown  Thrush. 

118 


He  drank  a  deep  draft  of  the  rubber  juice       Page  93 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  FAIRY-LAND 

Now  when  I  hear  the  Robin's  song, 

Or  Humming  Bird's  soft  note, 
Or  hear  a  carol  sweet  and  strong 

From  the  Canary's  throat, 
I  smile,  and  sometimes  beat  the  time 

For  very  well  I  know 
How  each  one  learned  his  music's  chime 

While  standing  in  a  row 

When  the  Crow  and  the  Wren 
And  the  little  Fat  Hen 

And  the  Sparrow  and  Thrush  and  Jay 
Were  taught  how  the  notes 
Must  come  from  their  throats 

In  quite  the  particular  way. 


119 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  BUMBLEBEE  EXPRESS 

The  three  now  sat  in  a  row  and  were  not 
unhappy,  for  their  hearts  felt  very  light.  At  last  the 
Banjo  said:  "My  young  friends,  it  is  not  true  that 
I  am  a  Fairy,  although  I  have  told  you  that  I  was  born 
in  Fairy-land  and  that  my  parents  were  good  Fairies 
as  well.  Now,  I  did  not  like  to  say  much  to  you  before 
this  time,  although  the  truth  is  that  had  you  not  taken 
me  with  you  to  the  Fairy  Valley,  I  could  not  have  gone 
there  at  all." 

"  How,  then,  did  you  come  to  leave  the  Valley  of  the 
Fairies?"  asked  Lulu. 

120 


THE  BUMBLEBEE  EXPRESS 

"Once,  long  ago,"  replied  the  Enchanted  Banjo,  "I 
was  taken  up  to  earth  by  a  Black  Fairy  and  left  hanging 
upon  a  tree,  where  I  was  found  by  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz, 
and  later  given  to  his  Private  Secretary,  who  always 
had  to  make  music  every  day  for  his  Majesty.  There 
was  no  way  in  which  I  could  escape,  and,  indeed,  I  was 
always  treated  kindly,  as  you  know.  Now,  I  will  try 
to  see  whether  I  have  forgotten  all  the  speech  of  the 
Fairy  Valley.  I  need  not  say  that  it  is  fortunate  that 
you  brought  me  along,  because,  certainly,  if  you  came 
through  the  act  of  a  bad  Fairy,  you  would  not  be  welcome 
in  the  Valley,  and  there  is  no  telling  what  might  happen 
were  I  not  there.  But  now,  if  you  will  put  me  together 
once  more  and  press  very  lightly  upon  the  strings,  I 
will  try  to  talk  in  what  is  known  as  the  Diamond  language, 
very  small  and  bright  and  clear  and  precious;  because 
that  is  the  way  the  voice  of  a  Fairy  sounds,  as  nearly 
as  any  one  can  describe  it." 

So  now  they  put  the  two  pieces  of  the  Banjo  together 
again  very  gently  and  pressed  very  lightly  upon  the 
strings,  and  very  softly  the  Banjo  began  to  play  as  they 
had  never  heard  it  play  before;  and,  indeed,  its  voice  did 
sound  like  a  diamond  or  some  other  precious  stone,  as 
nearly  as  they  could  describe  it. 

121 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 
THE  BUMBLEBEE  EXPRESS 

Ho !  The  Bumblebee  Express ! 
How  it  buzzes  through  the  air 
Till  before  you  even  guess 
Where  you  are,  why,  you  are  there! 

Stopping  at  the  hollyhocks 
For  a  load  of  honey  freight; 
At  the  sweet  pea  and  the  phlox 
Where  the  other  shipments  wait. 

Then  away,  away  it  goes ! 
With  a  zip  and  zum  and  zoom 
With  a  halt  beside  the  rose 
And  a  stop  at  Clover  Bloom. 

Hurry,  Fred  and  Tom  and  Bess 
Don't  you  want  to  take  a  ride 
On  the  Bumblebee  Express 
To  the  orchard's  other  side  ? 

Will  it  hold  you?     Goodness,  yes 
But  you  can  not  have  a  seat 
In  the  Bumblebee  Express 
If  you  are  not  good  and  sweet. 

Hardly  had  the  last  note  of  this  Fairy  summons  died 
away,  when  there  came  a  soft,  whirring  sound  below  them. 

"  Look! "  cried  Lulu.  They  peered  over  the  edge  of  the 
room  in  the  rock  far  down  along  the  Golden  Ladder; 
and  there,  approaching  them  rapidly,  they  saw  a  bright 

122 


THE  BUMBLEBEE  EXPRESS 

light.  A  faint  click  came  along  the  Ladder,  as  one  may 
sometimes  hear  the  rails  click  when  a  railway  train  is 
far  away.  Rapidly  this  light  grew  more  distinct,  and 
almost  at  once,  with  a  whizz  and  a  whir  about  as  loud 
as  ordinarily  may  be  heard  across  a  room,  but  which  in 
that  place  sounded  very  much  louder,  there  drew  up  at 
the  edge  of  the  chamber  a  strange  and  wonderful  little 
coach,  such  as  perhaps  no  Twins  in  the  world  ever  saw 
before. 

It  was  made  of  a  walnut  shell  for  a  body,  although 
the  shell  was  traced  with  lines  of  silver  and  gold.  It 
had  a  canopy  over  the  top,  made  of  such  gossamer  as 
blows  upon  the  air  of  evenings.  Within  it  were  two 
seats,  each  as  large  as  a  silver  dime,  and  there  was 
another  seat  or  high  box  for  the  coachman.  The  coach 
man  was  a  small  blue  grasshopper,  who  sat  very  erect 
and  straight  upon  his  seat  and  drove  with  wonderful 
skill,  holding  tight  to  the  lines,  which  were  made  of  single 
strands  of  silk.  The  most  wonderful  of  all  was  the  team 
which  drew  this  little  Fairy  coach,  for  such  at  once 
they  saw  it  was.  Its  horses  were  nothing  in  the  world 
but  great  golden  bumblebees,  with  black  and  yellow 
bodies,  with  fuzzy  legs  and  large,  bright,  dark  eyes, 
which  shone  so  clearly  that  no  other  lamps  were  needed 

123 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

for  the  coach.  Indeed,  it  had  been  their  eyes  which  the 
Twins  saw  as  they  leaned  over  the  edge ;  and  it  was  their 
strange,  steady  buzzing  which  had  made  the  noise  they 
heard — a  very  busy  and  pleasant  sound  when  bumble 
bees  are  going  as  fast  as  these  had  been.  They  panted 
a  little  as  the  coachman  pulled  them  up  and  drove  slowly 
into  the  little  room  in  the  rocky  wall  where  the  Twins 
were  sitting.  The  latter  looked  at  the  Fairy  coach  with 
delight,  for  it  was  the  most  beautiful  thing  they  had 
ever  seen  in  all  their  lives.  At  first  they  did  not  know 
whether  there  was  any  one  about  the  coach  but  the 
driver,  but  now  there  stepped  down  a  footman,  about 
as  large  as  a  green  house-fly  and  much  resembling  one. 
With  a  deep  bow,  he  swung  open  the  door  in  the  side  of 
the  coach  as  though  inviting  the  Twins  to  enter.  As 
he  did  this,  the  driver  tightened  up  his  reins  and  the 
golden  harness  of  the  bumblebee  horses  jingled  and 
jangled  and  tinkled  as  they  began  to  toss  their  heads 
and  champ  at  their  bits,  eager  to  start. 

"Dear  me,"  said  Lulu,  "isn't  this  the  sweetest  little 
coach  in  all  the  world?  How  fine  it  must  be  to  be  a 
Fairy  and  ride  in  such  a  coach  as  this! " 

"What  is  this,  Banjo,"  asked  Zuzu,  "and  where  has 
it  come  from?" 

124 


THE  BUMBLEBEE  EXPRESS 

"You  must  bean  extraordinarily  ignorant  person, "' 
said  the  Enchanted  Banjo,  "not  to  recognize  Queen 
Zulena's  own  private  coach,  the  Bumblebee  Express. 
But  why  do  you  wait  ?  Why  don't  you  get  into  the  coach  ? 
You  see  the  footman  is  waiting  for  you." 

"  Get  in? "  said  Zuzu.     "  Why,  how  could  we? " 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Lulu.  "It  is  not  big  enough  for 
a  kitten,  let  alone  Twins  of  our  age." 

"You  are  quite  mistaken,"  said  the  Enchanted  Banjo. 
"Her  Majesty,  the  good  Queen  Zulena,  has  sent  for 
you.  Do  not  try  to  understand  everything  in  the  world,, 
for  you  are  still  young  and  there  are  many  things  which 
you  do  not  know.  So  do  as  I  say  and  step  in  at  once." 

To  their  great  surprise,  they  stepped  through  the  door 
with  perfect  ease  and  found  there  was  plenty  of  room 
and  to  spare  upon  the  seats. 

While  they  were  settling  themselves  for  the  ride  the 
Enchanted  Banjo  sang: 

HOW  THE  FAIRIES  SING 

You  can  hear  the  Fairies  sing 
Just  as  plain  as  anything, 

If  you  wait 

Till  the  breeze  at  twilight  blows 
Breaths  of  perfume  from  the  rose 

At  the  gate. 

125 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

Then  it  is  you  may  hear  words 
Sweeter  than  the  songs  of  birds, 

Fair  and  fine, 

Soft  and  sweet  and  low  and  clear — 
No  such  words  as  yours,  my  dear, 

Nor  as  mine. 

But  the  speech  they  use  is  quaint, 
Whispery,  and  very  faint, 

Yet  it  swells 

As  it  drifts,  now  high,  now  low, 
Borne  in  echoes  to  and  fro 

Like  to  bells. 

Once  you  hear  the  speech  of  them 
You  will  know  each  word  a  gem 

New  and  bright, 
For  it  seems  to  sway  and  shake 
As  the  jewels  do  that  break 

Into  light. 


126 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

TO    THE    VALLEY    OF    THE    FAIRIES 

At  once  the  coachman  whirled  his  little  team  out 
from  the  small  room  in  the  rock,  and  the  coach  took  its 
place  between  the  rails  of  the  Golden  Ladder,  which  now 
seemed  to  resemble  the  rails  of  a  railroad.  They  were 
headed  straight  down,  and  Zuzu  and  Lulu  caught  their 
breath  as  the  coach  dived  off  and  began  to  drop  as  fast 
as  lightning,  down  and  down.  But  hardly  had  this 
flight  begun  before,  to  their  great  surprise,  both  lost 
their  fear  of  falling,  and,  indeed,  forgot  that  they  were 
going  in  any  direction  except  straight  ahead. 

127 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

They  flew  on  and  on,  as  fast  as  a  bird  and  as  easily, 
the  bumblebee  horses  galloping  steadily  without  stopping 
to  draw  a  breath,  the  coachman  flirting  his  whip  now 
and  then,  and  the  footman  sitting  up  very  straight  and 
stern.  The  Enchanted  Banjo  now  looked  perfectly 
happy. 

"In  this  way,  my  friends,"  it  remarked,  "we  shall 
soon  be  at  the  edge  of  the  Valley  of  the  Fairies.  Had  you 
stopped  to  climb  down  that  Ladder,  there  is  no  telling 
how  long  it  would  have  taken  you.  It  might  have  been 
several  years,  and,  indeed,  for  all  I  know,  you  might 
have  been  old  persons  by  the  time  you  got  there,  and  so 
have  had  trouble  about  getting  into  the  Valley;  for 
every  one  knows  that  children  are  more  loved  by  the 
Fairies  than  old  people." 

"  How  long  will  it  take  to  get  there  now? "  asked  Lulu. 

"That  is  a  hard  question  to  answer,"  replied  the 
Enchanted  Banjo,  "but  I  will  sing  a  little  in  order  to 
pass  away  the  time."  And  so  the  Banjo  sang: 

THE  CRAB  AND  THE  LOBSTER 

The  Lobster  and  the  Crab  once  met 
Where  all  the  sand  was  nice  and  wet, 
And  bowing  nicely,  down  they  sat 
To  have  a  pleasant,  friendly  chat. 

128 


H 

rr 
•  2 

:u 
a 

<, 

o 


o- 

0 


TO  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  FAIRIES 

They  talked  about  the  weather ;  next 
How  with  their  children  they  were  vexed ; 
Then  said  the  Crab:     "I  often  fret 
About  the  Rules  of  Etiquette." 

"Now  I,"  the  Lobster  said,  "am,  too, 
Disturbed  by  it  the  same  as  you. 
I  do  not  like  these  folks  who  say 
One  should  act  thus,  or  talk  this  way. 

"My  nature  is,  indeed,  mine  own; 
Why,  if  the  King  called  from  his  throne 
For  me  to  go  ahead,  he'd  find 
That  I  should  quickly  drop  behind." 

"I,  too,"  the  Crab  declared,  "am  odd, 
And  at  some  formal  laws  I  nod. 
In  this  one  thing  I  take  great  pride: 
When  I  walk  straight,  I  step  aside." 

Oh,  children,  pray  take  heed  of  this — 
You,  little  boy ;  you,  little  miss — 
The  Lobster  and  the  Crab  do  thus 
Because  they  are  like  most  of  us. 

The  Crab  goes  on  in  sidewise  tracks 
And  when  the  Lobster  leads,  it  backs! 
They  do  so,  for  it  is,  you  know, 
The  only  way  that  each  can  go. 


"  We  are  now  in  a  land  where  things  are  not  measured 
as  they  are  in  your  world,"  said  the  Banjo.  "  You  saw 
how  easily  you  got  into  this  small  coach,  did  you  not? 

129 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

Its  measurement  is  not  the  same  as  that  of  a  coach  up 
there,"  and  it  pointed  directly  above.  "In  the  same 
way,  the  time  will  be  much  smaller  than  the  same  length 
of  time  would  be  where  we  came  from.  I  don't  think 
the  journey  will  tire  you  in  the  least,  but  it  may,  perhaps, 
be  a  sensible  thing  for  you  to  curl  up  on  the  seats  and 
take  a  little  nap." 

"That  is  so,"  remarked  Lulu.  "I  am  feeling  rather 
sleepy." 

"So  am  I,"  said  Zuzu. 

So  they  both  curled  up  on  the  seats  and  went  fast 
asleep. 


130 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  ROYAL  AND  OFFICIAL  COUNCIL 

In  the  meantime,  as  may  readily  be  imagined,  there 
was  a  sad  time  at  the  palace  of  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz. 
The  Widow  Pickle  threatened  to  upset  the  royal  house 
hold  if  her  Twins  were  not  brought  back  before  sundown 
of  that  day.  No  trace  could  be  found  of  the  royal  shadow, 
nor  could  any  one  tell  what  had  become  of  the  wooden 
leg  of  the  Royal  Army.  The  Private  Secretary  was 
almost  frantic  over  all  these  difficulties,  and  the  Court 
Physician  was  also  at  his  wits'  end,  seeking  for  some 
remedy  for  the  strange  disease  of  the  King,  which  had 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

•caused  him  to  lose  his  shadow,  this  being  a  thing  which 
he  could  not  find  mentioned  in  any  of  the  medical  works 
which  he  habitually  consulted. 

" Oh,  my  poor  head!  My  poor  head!"  said  the  King. 
"And  to  think  that  my  poor,  dear  shadow  may  have 
quite  as  bad  a  headache  for  all  I  know!  Oh,  dear,  was 
ever  so  unhappy  a  King  as  I !  Jiji,  play  for  me,  and  see 
if  you  can  not  do  something  to  settle  my  poor  nerves." 

The  Private  Secretary  went  into  his  apartment,  but 
presently  returned  and  fell  prostrate  upon  his  face. 
"  O,  King,"  cried  he,  "  I  am  the  most  wretched  servant 
that  ever  disappointed  a  royal  master!" 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter  now  ?  What  is  the  matter  ?'  * 
asked  the  King.  "Has  anything  else  gone  wrong?" 

"O,  King,"  said  the  Private  Secretary,  "I  regret  to 
say  that  the  Enchanted  Banjo  has  disappeared  from  my 
apartments  in  the  royal  palace.  " 

4 'Ah!"  cried  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz,  as  he  heard  the 
news.  "This  is  almost  too  much!  I  begin  to  feel  so 
strange  that  I  really  think  I  shall  have  to  send  for  the 
Court  Headsman." 

As  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz  said  this,  he  fixed  a  stern 
eye  upon  the  unfortunate  Private  Secretary;  who,  as 
must  be  plain  to  all,  had  not  been  in  the  least  to  blame 
for  any  of  these  unhappy  events. 

132 


THE  ROYAL  AND  OFFICIAL  COUNCIL 

"I  beg  to  suggest,  your  Majesty,"  said  the  Private 
Secretary,  "that  you  send  for  the  Court  Detective 
instead." 

"If  in  your  opinion  he  can  be  of  the  slightest  service," 
replied  the  King,  "then  pray  have  him  come  and  set  to 
work  at  once." 

So  the  Court  Detective  came  and  was  admitted  to  the 
presence  of  the  King.  He  was  an  oldish  looking  man, 
thin,  and  dressed  in  a  long,  flowing,  black  gown.  He 
carried  under  one  arm  a  large  book,  and  under  the  other 
a  basket  of  plaster-of-paris,  with  which  he  was  accus 
tomed  to  think  he  would  some  day  make  a  cast  of  the 
footprints  of  some  escaping  criminal.  On  his  nose  he 
wore  two  pairs  of  spectacles,  one  for  far  looking  and  one 
for  close  looking,  and  in  general  he  was  a  very  wise- 
appearing  man.  The  King  at  once  explained  to  him 
the  reasons  for  his  summons  to  the  palace,  and  at  that 
the  Court  Detective  became  even  more  wise. 

"I  see,  your  Majesty,"  he  remarked,  "you  have  lost 
your  shadow.  Ha!  Hum!  Most  serious,  most  serious, 
I  assure  your  Majesty." 

"And  the  Widow  has  lost  the  Royal  Hereditary 
Twins,"  continued  the  King. 

"  Precisely.  Most  serious,  most  serious,"  said  the  Court 
Detective.  "It  would  have  been  better  had  I  been 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

called  much  earlier,  before  the  trail  was  so  cold;  but  we 
shall  see,  your  Majesty,  we  shall  see." 

"And  the  Private  Secretary  has  lost  the  Enchanted 
Banjo,  upon  which  we  were  accustomed  to  rely  for  our 
entertainment. ' ' 

"  Ah,  that  is  very  bad,  very  bad  indeed!  Whom  does 
your  Majesty  suspect  of  all  these  things?  Is  it  your 
Majesty's  belief  that  one  and  the  same  person  has  com 
mitted  all  these  crimes? " 

"  That  is  for  you  to  tell,"  said  the  King. 

11  Ah!  That  will  render  it  more  difficult/'  said  the  Court 
Detective,  "very  much  more  difficult;  but  we  shall  see, 
your  Majesty,  we  shall  see." 

"You  will  report  at  the  palace  at  two  this  afternoon," 
said  the  King,  "  and  if  you  have  not  at  that  time  brought 
back  the  missing  articles,  your  head  will  be  removed 
and  you  will  also  lose  your  position  as  Court  Detective." 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  the  Court  Detective,  "I  hope 
you  will  not  exercise  undue  haste.  This  is  the  first  case 
I  have  ever  had,  and  I  should  like  permission  to  continue 
my  studies  a  little  later  than  two  o'clock  this  afternoon." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  the  King,  "  you  shall  have  until 
half -past  two.  By  that  time  you  must  have  results." 
Whereupon,  the  King  bowed  and  turned  away. 

134 


THE  ROYAL  AND  OFFICIAL  COUNCIL 

The  Court  Detective  was  very  much  agitated  at  these 
sudden  responsibilities,  but  he  now  hastened  away. 
After  sitting  for  some  time  in  deep  thought,  he  began 
to  search  all  about  the  palace  yard,  looking  for  footprints. 
In  this  he  was  successful,  and  of  every  footprint  he  found 
he  made  a  cast  in  plaster-of-paris ;  so  that  before  long 
he  had  a  basketful  of  footprints,  and  with  these  he 
hastened  back  to  the  King. 

"  Your  Majesty,"  he  exclaimed,  "my  eagle  eye  has 
discovered  many  things,  and  if  my  plaster-of-paris  had 
not  run  out,  I  should  have  been  able  to  show  your  Majesty 
even  more  footprints  than  these." 

The  King  was  much  pleased.  "  You  have  a  good 
mind,"  said  he  to  the  Court  Detective.  "Among  these 
footprints  I  see  several  which  no  doubt  belong  to  the 
Royal  Hereditary  Twins.  In  which  direction  were  they 
going?" 

"That,  your  Majesty,"  replied  the  Court  Detective, 
"is  something  which  I  did  not  look  into,  considering  it 
immaterial;  but  now  that  your  Majesty  has  mixed  up 
these  footprints  in  the  basket,  I  feel  that  it  will  be  much 
more  difficult  to  determine  the  course  which  they  were 
taking  when  I  discovered  them." 

The  King  sent  out  the  Court  Detective  once  more 
with  instructions  to  examine  closely  the  ground  around 

135 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

the  home  of  the  Dragon  Jankow,  as  the  Private  Secretary 
had  suggested  that  they  might  have  gone  thither.  The 
Court  Detective  declared  that  if  the  Twins  were  found, 
the  shadow  and  the  lost  Banjo  also  would  be  discovered; 
but  he  refused  to  say  what  made  him  think  this,  and  only 
wagged  his  head. 

Within  a  short  time  after  he  had  gone  out  the  second 
time,  the  Court  Detective  again  returned,  very  much 
excited.  "Your  Majesty,  your  Majesty,"  he  cried,  "a 
crime  has  been  committed!" 

"Several  crimes  have  been  committed,"  said  the  King 
sternly,  "but  what  is  it  that  you  have  detected  now?" 

"  The  Royal  Army  has  lost  its  wooden  leg." 

"Ah,"  said  the  King.  "  Have  you  just  detected  that? 
I  knew  that  long  ago,  as  also  did  the  Dragon.  But 
did  you  find  any  footprints  near  there? "  asked  the  King. 

"I  did  not  look  for  any,"  said  the  Court  Detective; 
"but  had  I  found  any  I  should  have  been  helpless,  for 
I  was  quite  out  of  plaster-of-paris.  But  I  discovered 
that  a  portion  of  a  sandwich  and  two  tins  of  preserved 
herring  had  been  left  near  the  opening  of  the  gorge  where 
the  Royal  Army  lives." 

"Ah,"  said  the  King,  "let  us  see  them." 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  the  Court  Detective,  "I  regret 
very  much  to  state  that  I  was  hungry  and  ate  the  sand- 

136 


The  King  could  bound  as  high  as  the  tallest  palms        Page  99 


THE  ROYAL  AND  OFFICIAL  COUNCIL 

wich  and  the  tinned  herring;  but  if  I  had  had  more 
plaster-of-paris,  I  could  have  made  you  an  excellent 
cast  of  the  tins." 

"It  seems  to  me,"  said  the  King,  "that  you  are  not 
really  accomplishing  much  toward  taking  the  criminals." 

"  But,  consider,  your  Majesty,  "said  the  Court  Detective, 
"  the  handicap  under  which  I  labor.  A  detective  without 
plaster-of-paris  is  almost  helpless,  and  there  is  no  more 
plaster-of-paris  on  the  Island.  This  which  I  have  used 
was  left  to  me  by  my  father,  the  Court  Detective  to  your 
Majesty's  grandfather,  and  it  was  a  most  superior  article, 
which  can  not  be  replaced." 

At  this  time  the  King  looked  at  the  palace  clock. 
"Very  well,"  said  he,  "it  will  not  matter,  for,  as  I  per 
ceive,  it  is  now  half -past  two ;  so  I  presume  I  may  as 
well  behead  you  now." 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  the  Court  Detective,  "I  respect 
fully  request  that  you  do  not  behead  me." 

"I  am  sure  you  can  do  quite  as  well  without  your 
head,"  said  the  King. 

"No,"  replied  the  Court  Detective,  "that  I  respect 
fully  deny,  your  Majesty;  and  I  request  that  you  leave 
the  matter  of  the  legality  of  my  execution  to  the  Court 
Lawyer.  I  maintain  that  the  lack  of  plaster-of-paris 
is  the  cause  of  my  failure,  and  that  lack  was  not  my 
own  fault." 

137 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"Oh,  very  well,"  said  the  King,  "I  always  wish  to  be 
just.  Send  for  the  Court  Lawyer,  and  let  us  ask  him 
about  it;  though  thus  far  I  can  not  see  that  we  have 
learned  more  than  we  knew  before." 

The  Private  Secretary  went  after  the  Court  Lawyer, 
who  was  asleep  in  his  office,  but  who  awoke  and  accom 
panied  him  to  the  palace.  The  Court  Lawyer  was  a 
small  man,  but  very  wise  indeed.  He,  too,  was  old 
and  he,  too,  wore  a  long,  flowing  robe  of  black,  and  a 
high,  pointed  hat  with  narrow  rim,  which  made  him 
look  taller  than  he  really  was.  He  carried  a  black  bag 
under  his  arm,  in  which  were  many  wise  and  learned 
books  of  the  law.  To  him  the  King  of  Gee-Whiz  stated 
the  case  as  it  had  been  submitted,  saying  that  he  would 
very  much  like  to  behead  the  Court  Detective,  but  that 
he  did  not  wish  to  do  anything  illegal. 

"  What  do  you  think  in  regard  to  this,"  asked  the  King, 
"  and  how  quickly  can  you  give  me  a  decision  upon  this 
question  of  law? " 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  the  Court  Lawyer,  "I  have 
known  less  knotty  questions  than  this  one  to  remain 
in  the  Courts  of  Chancery  for  over  a  hundred  years ;  but 
such  is  my  own  great  personal  skill  in  this  branch  of  the 
law,  that  I  make  no  doubt  I  can  deliver  your  Majesty 
an  opinion  of  several  hundred  pages  and  of  great  import 
ance  in  less  than  half  that  time." 

138 


THE  ROYAL  AND  OFFICIAL  COUNCIL 

"That,"  said  the  King,  "is  absurd,  for  it  would  be  of 
no  use  to  the  Court  Detective,  if  he  were  beheaded  now, 
to  learn  fifty  years  hence  that  his  execution  had  been 
illegal." 

"The  law  cannot  take  any  cognizance  of  unimportant 
details,"  said  the  Court  Lawyer;  "so  I  do  not  presume 
to  enter  into  any  discussion  of  that  point,  as  I  have 
had  no  brief  prepared,  nor  could  I  have  had  on  such  short 
notice." 

"But  can  you  not  guess,"  asked  the  King,  "and  give 
us  an  informal  opinion  as  to  whether  I  can  behead  this 
gentleman,  and  so  go  take  a  nap?" 

"Your  Majesty,"  said  the  Court  Lawyer  firmly,  "the 
law  is  not  to  be  handled  in  so  hurried  a  manner.  I  can 
make  no  such  hasty  decision.  I  should  not  undertake 
to  render  an  opinion  upon  this  question  in  less  than 
fifty  years,  and  then  only  in  case  I  have  received  my 
proper  fee." 

"But  in  case  the  act  should  later  be  found  illegal?" 
asked  the  King. 

"Then,  in  that  case,"  said  the  Court  Lawyer,  "your 
Majesty  would  be  in  danger  of  impeachment  proceedings, 
which  might  cause  your  Majesty  to  lose  your  throne." 

"  It  is  enough  for  the  King  to  lose  his  shadow  without 
losing  his  throne,"  said  the  King  angrily.  "Away 

139 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

with  you,  every  one,  or,  I  declare,  I  shall  send  for  the 
Court  Executioner  and  consult  with  him  alone!" 

So  they  all  hastily  withdrew  from  the  King's  presence, 
and  for  the  time  the  matter  was  allowed  to  rest.  It 
may  be  if  the  bad  Fairy  had  not  stolen  the  White  Cricket, 
they  might  have  used  the  Fairy  Telephone  and  asked 
the  good  Queen  Zulena  whether  any  word  had  been 
received  there  of  a  missing  pair  of  Twins,  a  royal  shadow, 
the  wooden  leg  of  a  Dragon,  and  an  Enchanted  Banjo. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  FAIRY  CITY  OF  ALMALENA 

In  the  meantime,  as  may  be  supposed,  the  twins  Zuzu 
and  Lulu  were  rapidly  approaching  the  secret  Valley  of 
the  Fairies.  They  did  not  know  how  far  they  had  trav 
eled  when  at  length  they  awoke.  The  Bumblebee  Ex 
press  had  stopped  suddenly. 

"Well,"  said  the  Enchanted  Banjo,  "here  we  are  at 
last  at  the  city  of  Almalena." 

The  Twins  sat  up  on  the  carriage  seat  and  rubbed 
their  eyes,  scarcely  believing  that  what  they  saw  was 
anything  but  a  wonderful  dream,  so  strange  and  beau 
tiful  seemed  everything  here  in  the  land  of  the  Fairies. 

141 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

Before  them  lay  the  city  of  Almalena,  shining  in  some 
strange  clear  light,  which  was  strong  as  the  light  of  the 
sun  and  yet  soft  as  the  light  of  the  moon.  In  this 
radiance  one  could  see  to  any  distance  at  a  glance  and 
with  perfect  distinctness.  The  houses  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  Fairy  city  were  as  clearly  visible  as  those  close 
at  hand. 

The  houses  were  all  of  some  shining  substance,  possibly 
of  gold,  but  it  did  not  hurt  the  eyes  to  look  at  them,  for 
here  everything  was  soft  and  gentle.  They  could  see 
long  streets  of  these  houses;  and  crossing  the  streets 
were  boulevards  and  parks  and  open  spaces  filled  with 
beautiful  trees  and  flowers.  The  sweet  voices  of  birds 
filled  all  the  air,  but  did  not  prevent  the  hearing  of  every 
other  sound  distinctly.  Here  and  there  tall  towers  arose, 
and  at  the  top  of  each  of  these  was  a  large  diamond, 
whose  light  made  the  radiance  which  was  noticeable 
everywhere.  There  were  very  many  spires  and  pinnacles 
and  lace-like  carvings  in  what  seemed  to  be  stone,  but 
which  may  have  been  this  Fairy  material  resembling  gold. 

The  city  of  Almalena  was  not  a  city  as  we  know  it. 
There  was  no  smoke  anywhere  at  all,  nor  any  chimneys. 
There  was  no  confusion  or  hurry,  nor  any  jostling  nor 
crowding  nor  noise.  The  streets  were  paved  with  soft 
woven  carpets,  and  although  many  wheeled  vehicles 

142 


THE  FAIRY  CITY  OF  ALMALENA 

were  darting  here  and  there,  drawn  by  bees  or  butter 
flies,  these  made  not  the  slightest  noise,  except  that  now 
and  then  one  could  hear  the  faint  tinkling  of  golden 
harness,  like  that  on  the  steeds  of  the  Bumblebee 
Express.  All  was  sweet  and  calm,  and  always  arose 
sweet  music,  and  always  there  came  the  feeling  that 
here  it  was  neither  hot  nor  cold,  but  comfortable;  and 
always  there  lay  wide  and  fine  the  avenues  of  the 
Fairy  city  lined  with  pleasant  trees ;  and  always  through 
the  soft  air  came  the  tinkling  of  many  little  silvery  bells, 
very  sweet  to  hear,  as  unseen  hands  rang  them  in  the 
lacy  towers. 

Beyond  the  city  lay  a  wide  lake,  shining  in  the  Fairy 
sunlight,  and  wrinkled  with  little  ripples  about  as  large 
as  one's  hand.  This  lake  was  dotted  here  and  there 
with  little  boats  that  sailed  merrily  over  the  tiny  waves. 
Others  went  by  oars,  and  yet  others  seemed  to  glide 
without  being  propelled  in  any  visible  way.  Beyond 
this  lake  was  the  thin  dark  line  of  a  wide  forest,  and  at 
one  side  of  this  rose  a  high  mountain,  while  at  the  other, 
very  far  away,  as  it  seemed,  rose  two  other  mountains 
which  came  close  together  in  a  sort  of  gateway  between 
the  hills.  Closer  at  hand  upon  the  lake  were  floating 
islands  upon  which  grew  trees  and  flowers,  and  which 
seemed  also  to  have  people  upon  them,  since  now  and 
then  came  sounds  of  laughter  and  of  happy  voices. 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

Above  all  in  the  city  of  Almalena  there  was  a  great 
feeling  of  happiness  and  content.  You  might  look  over 
all  that  valley  inch  by  inch,  and  listen  hour  by  hour 
and  never  would  you  hear  a  complaint  or  a  cry;  nothing 
except  smiles  and  happy  words  and  cheerful  songs  and 
pleasant  voices,  and  musical  instruments  which  spoke 
only  of  joy  and  pleasure.  This,  indeed,  is  the  great 
thing  about  the  home  of  the  Fairies,  that  there  everything 
is  happy,  and  that  such  a  thing  as  grief  or  unhappiness 
is  unknown. 

"This,"  said  Lulu,  "is  the  most  beautiful  place  I  ever 
saw,  and  it  far  surpasses  anything  of  which  I  have  even 
dreamed." 

"Now  since  we  are  here  safe  and  sound,"  said  the 
Enchanted  Banjo,  "it  is  our  first  duty  to  go  to  see  the 
Fairy  leader,  the  good  Queen  Zulena.  I  am  sure  you  will 
say  there  was  never  so  beautiful  and  good  a  queen  in 
all  the  world.  You  may  drive  us  to  the  royal  court  of 
the  Fairies,  if  you  please,  Coachman." 

So  the  coachman  cracked  his  whip,  the  bumblebees  again 
champed  at  their  bits  and  snorted,  then  broke  into  a 
gallop  that  fairly  made  the  little  coach  fly  up  the  main 
street  to  the  Royal  Court  of  the  Fairy  city  of  Almalena. 

The  coach  pulled  up  under  the  wide  porte-cochere 
and  as  Zuzu  and  Lulu  arose  from  their  seats  there  came 

144 


THE  FAIRY  CITY  OF  ALMALENA 

out  to  meet  them  many  servants  who  aided  them  to  alight 
and  ushered  them  into  the  Royal  Court  of  the  Fairy 
Queen  Zulena.  This  was  in  the  finest  palace  of  gold 
and  silver  and  jewels  which  can  be  imagined.  Here 
presently  they  saw  the  Fairy  Queen. 

She  was  a  very  beautiful  queen,  this  ruler  of  the 
secret  Valley  of  the  Fairies.  This  Zuzu  and  Lulu  saw  as 
she  arose  from  her  throne  to  meet  them.  She  seemed 
about  as  tall  as  Lulu,  although  it  is  hard  to  tell  just  how 
tall  any  person  is  in  the  Fairy  country,  where  measure 
ments  are  not  the  same  as  with  us.  She  was  robed  in 
white  and  silver,  and  wore  a  crown  of  shining  little 
diamonds  which  glittered  beautifully.  Her  throne  was 
about  as  tall  as  a  library  chair,  and  was  placed  on  a  little 
platform  raised  a  distance  above  the  floor.  The  arms 
of  the  throne  were  richly  carved  and  about  the  back 
and  along  the  arms  were  set  many  great  red  stones  which 
made  a  warm  light.  Around  the  foot  of  this  throne 
fell  the  folds  of  the  Queen's  garments,  and  as  she  rose 
and  swept  back  these  long  robes  there  stepped  out, 
from  recesses  in  the  wall,  one  at  each  side  of  the  throne, 
two  pages,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  of  the  same  height  and  size 
and  expression.  Zuzu  and  Lulu  looked  at  these  in 
wonder  and  realized  that  they  also  were  Twins.  These 
twin  pages  carefully  took  up  the  robes  of  the  Queen 

US 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

and  stood  at  the  edge  of  the  platform.  As  Zuzu  and 
Lulu  gazed  at  these  pages,  to  their  great  surprise  they 
observed  that  they  had  hair  of  malazite  blue  and  corazine 
green,  just  as  they  themselves  had;  only  in  the  case  of 
the  pages,  the  boy,  whose  name  they  learned  was  Fofo, 
had  the  blue  hair,  and  the  girl,  whose  name  was  Fifi, 
had  green,  these  colors  being  the  reverse  of  those  in  their 
own  case. 

The  Queen  stepped  down  from  her  beautiful  throne 
and  caught  Lulu  and  Zuzu  in  her  arms.  "  My  dear 
children!"  said  she.  "My  dear  children,  how  glad  I  am 
to  see  you!  And  here,  too,  is  my  good  Banjo,  that  used 
to  play  for  us  long  ago,  before  we  lost  it.  Ah!  I  see 
these  new  friends  of  mine  have  the  royal  malazite  and 
the  corazine  hair,  and  they  are  the  images  of  yourselves, 
my  dear  pages,  Fofo  and  Fifi!  These  are  royal  children 
who  have  come  to  visit  us,  and  I  am  sure  all  this  is  as 
much  as  any  Fairy  Queen  could  ask.  I  hope  that  my 
new  friends  will  shake  hands  with  these  my  pages,  and 
that  you  all  will  be  very  good  friends." 

So  the  little  pages  stepped  forward  from  the  foot  of 
the  throne,  Lulu  and  Zuzu  shook  hands  with  Fofo  and 
Fifi  and  soon  they  were  very  good  friends. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen,  "we  will  have  some  cakes 
and  tea,  for  I  know  you  must  be  very  weary  from  your 

146 


THE  FAIRY  CITY  OF  ALMALENA 

long  ride.  And  as  you  eat,  I  will  have  some  shadows 
dance  on  the  palace  wall  for  your  entertainment.  I  am 
sure  the  Enchanted  Banjo  will  play  for  the  shadows, 
because  they  can  always  dance  very  much  better  to 
the  music  of  an  Enchanted  Banjo." 

So  then  the  shadows  began  to  dance  on  the  wall  for 
them,  as  the  Banjo  played: 

THE  DANCE  OF  THE  SHADOWS 


When  the  firelight  flickers  brightly 

Then  we  see  upon  the  wall 
Shadows  bowing  all  politely, 

Short  and  thin,  and  wide  and  tall; 
When  the  ruddy  blaze  is  leaping 

And  the  red  sparks  glint  and  glance, 
Then  with  bows  both  low  and  sweeping 

Do  the  shadows  start  their  dance. 

With  a  sway  and  a  shift,  and  a  leap  and  a  lift, 
And  a  stride  and  a  shuffle  as  they  glide  round 
about, 

And  a  stop  and  a  swing,  and  a  jump  and  a  fling, 
And  a  twist  and  a  twirling  as  they  weave  in  and  out. 

Thus  they  go  in  gay  procession 

Down  the  wall  and  back  again 
As  though  it  were  their  profession 

To  make  mock  of  dancing  men ; 
They  go  swift,  and  swifter,  wheeling 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

In  the  figures  made  by  chance, 
Darting  from  the  floor  to  ceiling — 
Thus  the  shadows  have  their  dance. 

With  a  leap  and  a  whirl  and  a  twist  and  a  twirl 
And  a  slide  and  a  shuffle  as  they  weave  round 
about, 

And  a  swing  and  a  hop,  and  a  bow  and  a  stop, 
And  a  shift  and  a  nodding  as  they  wind  in  and 
out. 


148 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  JOURNEY  TO  CANDY-TOWN 

After  they  had  eaten  all  their  fairy  cakes  and  tea — 
which  were  not  in  the  least  like  anything  they  had  ever 
tasted  before,  but  were  much  better  than  anything  they 
had  ever  known — Zuzu  and  Lulu  told  the  Fairy  Queen 
about  their  journey  and  how  they  had  happened  to 
undertake  it.  They  told  her  what  the  Black  Fairy 
had  said  to  them,  and  how  they  had  taken  off  the  wooden 
leg  of  the  Dragon,  and  how  they  had  started  down  the 
Golden  Ladder.  Neither  Zuzu  nor  Lulu  had  heard  of 
the  King's  losing  his  shadow,  but  in  some  way  the  Fairy 

149 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

Queen  had  heard  of  this,  and  now  she  told  them  of  it, 
to  their  great  surprise. 

"This,"  said  she,  "was  the  work  of  the  Wicked  Fairy 
Gobo,  whom  I  have  warned  never  to  interfere  in  matters 
outside  of  his  own  home  in  yonder  mountain.  Had  you 
only  telephoned  to  me  by  the  White  Cricket  instead  of 
the  Black  Cricket,  all  would  have  been  well,  for  in  that 
case  I  should  have  sent  the  Bumblebee  Express  quite 
up  to  the  top  of  the  ladder  for  you,  and  should  have 
commanded  the  Dragon  to  let  you  pass;  but  at  any 
rate,  here  you  are,  my  dears,  and  I  think  no  one  will 
be  the  worse  off  for  that,  except  the  Wicked  Fairy  Gobo, 
who  knew  very  much  better  than  to  use  the  Fairy  Tele 
phone  Line.  Him  I  shall  punish  for  this  act  in  due  time. 
But  we  must  not  be  angry  or  unhappy  over  these 
things.  After  you  have  finished  your  supper,  we  will 
have  a  short  sail  upon  the  lake,  and  make  a  visit  to  some 
of  the  floating  islands." 

So  they  all  went  out  sailing  upon  the  Fairy  lake,  in  a 
beautiful  pale-green  boat,  which  moved  very  gently 
through  the  water  under  the  oars  of  a  crew  of  Fairy 
dwarfs,  who  used  oars  made  of  wheaten  straws,  rowing  so 
gently  that  the  boat  hardly  made  a  ripple  on  the  water. 
They  had  also  a  sail  of  white  silk,  which  was  hoisted  at  the 
bow  of  the  boat,  and  which  was  filled  by  a  gentle  wind 

150 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  CANDY-TOWN 

that  blew  across  the  lake.  The  Queen  sat  on  the  high 
seat  at  the  stern  of  the  boat,  with  Lulu  and  Zuzu  at  her 
feet.  After  some  time  they  landed  at  the  edge  of  one 
of  the  floating  islands,  which  the  Twins  were  sure  was 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  places  they  had  ever  seen  in 
all  the  world. 

As  they  moved  from  the  shore  they  found  themselves 
in  a  grove  of  trees,  and  a  short  distance  ahead  in  this 
grove  they  saw  gleaming  the  sides  of  a  sort  of  small 
temple,  surrounded  by  a  fence.  To  their  great  surprise 
they  found  that  this  fence  was  built  of  red  and  white 
and  blue  rails,  laid  up  like  any  rail  fence;  but  that  these 
rails  were  sticks  of  candy  instead  of  wood. 

"Come  now,  my  children,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen, 
"  and  let  us  be  seated  at  yonder  temple  or  kiosk,  and  have 
some  more  cakes  and  tea."  So  they  all  went  to  a  little 
table  in  the  kiosk,  and  the  Queen  touched  a  tiny  bell. 
Some  very  small  Fairies  brought  cakes  and  tea  of  the 
finest  sort  imaginable,  of  which  it  seemed  they  could 
not  eat  so  much  as  to  injure  themselves,  and  which  no 
matter  how  much  they  ate  always  tasted  as  good  as  they 
had  before. 

"Now,"  said  the  Queen,  "I  see  that  you  still  have 
the  Royal  Wishing  Wands  which  the  good  King  of  Gee- 
Whiz  has  given  to  you.  Why  do  you  not  wish  for  some 
thing,  if  there  is  anything  you  would  like  to  have? " 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"Alas!"  said  Lulu,  "we  had  but  three  wishes  a  week, 
and  we  have  used  them  all  up  but  two.  We  are  saving 
those  for  some  important  occasion." 

"That  is  very  nice  of  you,"  said  the  Queen,  "but  now 
let  me  assure  you  that  your  Wishing  Wands  are  meant 
for  use  in  the  kingdom  of  Gee- Whiz,  and  not  in  the 
kingdom  of  the  Fairies.  While  you  are  with  me  you  can 
have  anything  you  like  as  often '  as  you  like,  by  only 
wishing  for  it,  if  I  am  not  mistaken  in  thinking  that  my 
Fairies  are  able  to  do  anything  I  ask  of  them." 

"I  wish,"  said  Zuzu,  "that  I  had  a  sled  that  would 
run  up  hill." 

"A  very  good  and  sensible  wish,"  said  the  Queen, 
"and  one  which  is  easily  granted.  Here  is  your  sled, 
with  your  name  on  it  in  nice  red  color,  and  with  low 
sharp  runners;  and  I  assure  you  it  will  run  up  hill  just 
as  well  as  down;  which  has  never  been  the  case  in  your 
country,  and  which  is  a  great  objection  to  all  sleds  used 
there." 

"Now,"  said  Lulu,  clapping  her  hands  and  jumping 
up  and  down,  "we  must  have  some  snow!  But  I  wish 
it  could  be  warm  snow,  for  cold  snow  is  not  pleasant, 
and  makes  one's  hands  red." 

Again  the  Queen  smiled  and  waved  her  wand  and  lo! 
as  she  did  so  soft  snow  began  to  fall  all  about 

152 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  CANDY-TOWN 

them,  so  that  the  ground  was  soon  quite  white.  Almost 
afraid  to  test  it,  Lulu  put  her  hand  into  the  snow,  but 
withdrew  it  again  with  a  cry  of  delight.  To  her  great 
surprise  the  snow  was  quite  warm  and  nice. 

"I  think  you  will  find  this  sort  of  snow  very  com 
fortable/'  said  the  Queen. 

"I  don't  see  how  anything  so  cold  as  snow  can  be 
warm,"  said  Zuzu,  only  half  believing  that  this  could 
be  true. 

"You  do  not  remember,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen,  "that 
this  country  is  more  or  less  tropical,  so  that  here  snow 
might  be  expected  to  be  warm." 

"At  any  rate,"  said  Zuzu,  "I  find  it  very  nice,  and 
with  a  sled  that  runs  up  hill,  and  snow  that  does  not 
get  cold,  I  don't  see  what  more  any  one  could  ask.  I 
don't  think  I'll  wish  any  more,  because  I  can't  think  of 
anything  to  wish." 

"I  know  what  I'd  like!"  cried  Lulu. 

"And  what  is  that,  my  dear?"  asked  the  Queen. 

"I'd  like  a  doll." 

"What  sort  of  doll,  my  dear?  We  have  many  very 
fine  ones." 

"I'd  like  a  new  doll — no,  I  wouldn't,  because  that 
would  be  leaving  my  old  dolly,  and  I  am  sure  I  like  my 
old  dolly  as  much  as  I  could  any  new  one,  yet  I  want  a 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

new  one,  too.  Now,  what  can  I  do,  when  I  want  both 
a  new  doll  and  an  old  one?" 

"That  is  very  easy,"  said  the  Queen.  "  I  will  get  you 
a  doll  which  is  both  old  and  new."  And  again  she  waved 
her  wand. 

Lulu  looked  down,  and  almost  cried  aloud;  for  there 
in  her  arms  was  a  brand  new  doll,  the  finest  she  had  ever 
seen,  that  could  laugh  and  talk  and  eat,  which  was 
quite  new,  but  which,  to  her  great  surprise,  was  also 
quite  old!  She  felt  free  to  love  it  quite  as  much  as  she 
liked,  and  so  she  did  love  it  very  much.  As  she  stood 
with  the  doll  in  her  arms,  to  her  great  surprise  the  En 
chanted  Banjo  began  to  play  and  the  doll  began  to 
sing,  and  the  song  it  sang  was  called: 

I'M  THE  DOLLY  YOU  LOVE  BEST 

With  battered  eyes  and  broken  nose, 
With  tattered  ears  and  worn-out  toes ; 
With  one  pulled-out  and  stringy  arm 
Where  you  have  swung  me  to  my  harm, 
I  am  the  dolly  you  love  best, 
The  doll  that's  dearer  than  the  rest. 

Your  own  old  dolly 

Whose  smile  is  ever  jolly, 

Who  never  sighed  or  cried  when  you  would  fling 
her  at  the  wall; 

154 


The  Dragon  again  reared  and  rattled  its  long  body        Page  no 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  CANDY-TOWN 

Your  old,  worn  dolly, 

Your  best-loved  dolly, — 

The  dolly  that  you  always  thought  the  fairest  one 
of  all. 

I  am  the  doll  who  heard  you  weep 
Because  she  would  not  go  to  sleep; 
I  am  the  doll  who  helped  you  play 
At  going  calling  every  day ; 
With  frowsled  hair,  in  tatters  dressed; 
I  am  the  dolly  you  love  best. 

Your  own  old  dolly 

Whose  smile  is  ever  jolly, 
Who  never  moaned  or  groaned  when  you  woulcE 

idly  let  her  fall; 
Your  old,  old  dolly, 

Your  best,  best  dolly — 

The  dolly  that  you  always  thought  the  fairest  one 
of  all. 


"I  am  very  happy  here,  indeed,"  said  Lulu,  "and  I 
can't  think  of  another  thing  to  wish.  I  feel  a  little 
thirsty  from  eating  so  much  cake." 

The  Queen  smiled  again.  "There  is  no  need  to  wish 
for  a  drink,"  said  she,  "for  if  you  will  only  take  a  cup 
and  step  to  the  spring,  I  think  you  will  find  that  it  is 
made  of  very  good  lemonade." 

So  Lulu  took  her  cup,  stepped  to  the  spring,  and 
to  her  great  surprise  she  dipped  up  a  cup  of  what  proved 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

to  be  the  very  best  lemonade  she  had  ever  tasted  in  all  her 
life. 

"Now,"  said  the  Queen,  "suppose  we  walk  farther 
into  the  island,  and  see  what  we  call  our  Candy  Land." 

So  they  walked  on  deeper  into  the  wood,  and  as  they 
did  so  they  looked  all  about  them,  and  behold!  all  the 
trees  were  Christmas  trees,  hung  full  of  shining  things 
— toys  and  books  and  parcels,  everything  most  inviting 
in  appearance.  Not  one  Christmas  tree  was  there,  but 
hundreds,  and  every  way  they  looked  they  saw  still 
more  Christmas  trees,  so  many  they  could  hardly  count 
them  in  a  day,  had  they  done  nothing  else  but  count. 

"This,"  said  the  Queen,  "is  what  we  call  the  Christ 
mas  tree  forest.  It  is  here  that  Santa  Claus,  one  of  my 
best  friends,  gets  all  the  Christmas  trees  which  he  uses 
in  the  winter-time.  They  grow  here  in  hundreds,  and 
of  just  the  right  size.  But  that  is  only  a  part  of  what 
I  was  going  to  show  you." 

Now  they  came  to  a  long  row  of  houses  like  shops, 
in  two  rows  like  the  shops  in  what  is  called  an  Arcade; 
but  to  their  great  surprise  everything  they  saw  here  was 
made  of  candy.  The  houses,  the  people  and  everything 
in  the  shops  proved  to  be  made  of  candy.  There 
was  nothing  in  the  world  one  could  have  thought  of  which 
was  not  there,  and  one  might  have  furnished  a  large  house 

156 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  CANDY-TOWN 

from  top  to  bottom;  but  every  article  was  made  of 
candy — candy  rocking-chairs  and  tables  and  pianos, 
and  knives  and  forks,  and  everything  else,  so  that  Lulu 
and  Zuzu  hardly  knew  what  to  do,  it  all  seemed  so  strange 
to  them. 

"These  things  are  not  so  durable  as  though  made  of 
gold  or  gems,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen,  "  because  one  is 
always  tempted  to  eat  off  the  arm  of 'a  chair  or  to  bite 
-a  piece  out  of  the  table  or  the  clock.  But  you  need 
not  mind  about  that;  bite  all  you  please,  for  there  are 
plenty  more  of  these  things.  The  good  Candy  Man  will 
bring  more,  I  am  sure,  for  that  is  why  we  have  him  here." 

So  Lulu  and  Zuzu  sat  down  in  candy  chairs  at  a  candy 
table,  and  soon  there  came  up  to  them  a  quaint  looking 
little  man  whom  they  knew  to  be  the  Candy  Man.  He 
smiled  and  smiled  as  he  approached.  "You  will  excuse 
me,  my  good  young  friends,"  said  he,  "if  I  do  not  come 
and  sit  down  with  you,  but  you  see  I  am  made  of 
candy,  and  if  I  get  too  near  the  fire  my  face  melts,  so  I 
have  to  be  very  careful.  But  if  you  see  anything  here, 
help  yourselves,  and  I  will  get  some  more  for  you,  if 
you  like." 

As  they  looked  at  the  Candy  Man,  the  Twins  observed 
to  their  surprise  that  he  had  only  one  arm.  "Oh!  poor 
man,"  said  Lulu,  "you  have  only  one  arm.  That's 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

too  bad.  Will  you  tell  us  how  you  happened  to  lose  your 
arm?  Did  you  fall  down  and  break  it?" 

"No,"  said  the  Candy  Man,  "I  did  not  break  it,  but 
lost  it;  and  yet  though  I  lost  it,  I  still  have  it,  so  that 
though  I  miss  it,  I  do  not  regret  it." 

"Why,  how  can  that  be?"  inquired  Lulu. 

"Well,  the  truth  is,"  said  the  Candy  Man,  "I  ate  it." 

"How  awfully  sad!"  exclaimed  Lulu. 

"Not  in  the  least,  my  dear,"  the  Candy  Man  said. 
"Such  events  are  not  unusual  in  this  country.  If  you 
think  I  am  badly  off,  you  ought  to  see  my  brother.  Did 
you  never  hear  the  story  about  when  he  was  a  boy  ?  Ask 
the  Banjo." 

So  the  Banjo  told  them  the  story. 

THE  CANDY  BOY 

Oh,  list  to  the  tale  of  the  Candy  Boy — 

The  boy  that  turned  to  candy. 
He  was  his  mamma's  pride  and  joy, 

And  sweet  things  were  too  handy. 
He  ate  and  ate  and  ate  and  ate 

Mint  sticks  and  peanut  brittles — 
Just  candy,  it  is  sad  to  state, 

Made  all  of  this  boy's  victuals. 

One  day  he  noticed  that  his  hair 
In  taffy  drips  was  streaming, 
And  that  upon  his  fingers  there 

158 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  CANDY-TOWN 

Were  bright  red  stripes  a-gleaming. 
He  bit  his  finger,  and  he  found 

That  it  was  flavored  sweetly 
From  having  candy  all  around 

He'd  turned  to  it  completely ! 

Oh,  dear!     Oh,  dear!     This  tearful  tale 

I  really  should  not  finish. 
He  ate  his  arms  without  a  wail 

At  seeing  them  diminish. 
From  eating  so  much  candy,  see 

How  things  resulted  direly: 
That  boy  is  no  more  here,  for  he 

Ate  up  himself  entirely ! 


" Is  there  anything  more  that  you  would  like?"  asked 
the  Fairy  Queen  after  this  entertaining  story. 

"No,"  said  Lulu,  sighing  and  hugging  tight  her  new- 
old  doll.  "  I  am  so  happy  and  contented  that  I  can  not 
think  of  anything  else  to  wish  for  myself;  but  I  was 
just  thinking  how  badly  the  poor  King  must  be  feeling 
all  this  time  without  his  shadow,  while  here  are  we,  to 
whom  he  gave  these  Fairy  Wishing  Wands,  having  so  good 
a  time.  I  wish  he  could  be  happy  and  contented,  too." 

"Ah,  so  do  I,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen  Zulena.  "I 
have  wished  that  for  many  years." 

The  Twins  looked  at  her  and  for  the  first  time  they 
saw  a  shade  of  sorrow  cross  her  sweet  face.  "The  truth 
is,  my  children/'  said  the  Fairy  Queen,  "I  have  often 

159 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

wanted  again  to  see  the  King.  Once,  very  long  agor 
we  were  children  here  together  in  this  country,  until  he 
fell  partly  under  the  influence  of  Wicked  Fairies  and  began 
to  care  more  for  gold  and  jewels  and  the  like  than  for 
anything  else.  It  was  the  Wicked  Fairies  who  changed 
his  nature;  but  I  am  always  hoping  that  he  will  grow 
to  be  a  great  and  good  king  even  yet,  so  that  we  may 
together  rule  over  the  same  land." 

"Why,"  said  Zuzu,  "that  is  precisely  what  the  King 
has  said  to  us  very  many  times!" 

The  face  of  the  Fairy  Queen  flushed  a  little  at  this, 
but  she  sighed.  "Alas,  I  think  that  can  not  be,"  she 
said.  "True,  I  aid  him  as  I  can,  and  whenever  he  tele 
phones  to  me  for  gold,  I  give  it  to  him,  because  certainly 
we  have  more  gold  than  we  can  use,  and  many  gems  as 
well;  but  I  can  not  go  up  to  the  Island  to  meet  him, 
and  so  can  only  telephone,  which  I  do  not  find  wholly 
satisfactory.  Against  certain  Wicked  Fairies  not  even  I, 
the  Queen,  can  prevail  in  all  cases.  Thus,  I  am  sad  to 
say,  I  could  not  even  secure  the  King's  shadow  from  the 
Wicked  Fairy  Gobo,  if  it  be  true  that  he  has  taken  it 
and  hidden  it  at  his  cave  in  the  mountain.  That  could 
only  be  done  by  a  good  child  who  wished  it  very  hard, 
and  who  used  the  Wishing  Wand  which  is  proper  for  the 
Island  of  Gee- Whiz,  where  the  shadow  came  from." 

1 60 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  CANDY-TOWN 

"Ah!"  cried  Zuzu,  "then  that  is  precisely  what  I 
shall  wish  next."  So  he  rubbed  his  own  Wishing  Wand 
very  hard,  and  besought  that  the  King  should  have  back 
his  shadow  again,  and  never  more  lose  it. 

"That,"  said  the  Queen,  smiling  now  happily,  "is 
very  kind  of  you,  and  I  am  sure  if  only  we  can  find  the 
shadow  here  in  the  valley,  the  Wicked  Fairy  will  be 
obliged  to  let  it  go..  It  is  quite  likely  that  he  has  also 
taken  the  White  Cricket  of  the  King.  If  we  could 
restore  both  of  these  to  the  rightful  owner,  I  should  be 
very  happy  and  contented  myself." 

"But  what  shall  we  do  to-morrow?"  asked  the 
Queen  of  the  Twins  as  she  arose  and  started  out  from 
the  Candy  Man's  place. 

"  I  should  above  all  things  like  to  see  the  place  where 
the  Fairies  find  all  the  gold,"  said  Zuzu. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Queen,  "we  will  go  to-morrow, 
and  I  will  show  you  where  all  the  gold  comes  from;  but 
now  let  us  go  back  to  the  palace,  and  go  to  sleep  for  the 
night." 

As  she  spoke,  she  again  touched  a  little  bell,  and  soon 
there  came  a  little  Fairy,  smiling  and  bowing  before  her. 

"Dimi,"  said  the  Queen,  "please  to  have  the  wind 
changed  so  that  it  shall  blow  back  toward  the  city, 
instead  of  in  this  direction.  We  must  be  going  home. 

161 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

now,  and  I  do  not  wish  my  oarsmen  to  become  at  all 
weary." 

Dimi  bowed  and  smiled,  with  his  hands  spread  wide 
.apart,  and  as  the  Twins  and  the  Fairy  Queen  now  walked 
down  toward  the  Fairy-boat,  to  their  great  surprise  Lulu 
and  Zuzu  saw  that  the  wind  was  beginning  to  blow  gently 
and  softly  in  the  opposite  direction.  Soon  they  were 
gliding  silently  and  steadily  over  the  crystal  waves  of 
the  Fairy  sea. 


162 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE  VALLEY  OF  GOLD 

That  night  Zuzu  and  Lulu  slept  in  golden  beds  with 
silken  curtains,  with  pillows  made  of  thistle-down,  very 
light  and  soft.  Naturally  they  slept  very  soundly,  so 
it  was  morning  almost  before  they  knew  it.  When  they 
arose  they  saw  standing  near  by  golden  basins  filled 
with  clear  shining  water,  and  after  they  were  bathed 
and  dressed  they  saw  standing  near  a  little  Fairy 
with  a  dainty  breakfast-tray.  They  ate  heartily,  and 
presently  hastened  away  to  see  the  good  Queen  Zulena 
and  to  remind  her  of  her  promise  to  show  them  the 
Valley  of  Gold. 

163 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"Come  then,  my  dears/'  said  the  Queen,  "bring  with 
you  the  Enchanted  Banjo  and  we  will  take  the  Bumble 
bee  Express,  and  travel  beyond  the  forest,  toward  yonder 
mountains." 

In  a  few  minutes  they  heard  the  tinkle  of  the  golden 
harness  and  the  stamp  of  the  bumblebees  on  the  pave 
ment,  eager  to  be  off.  Then,  taking  their  seats  as  before, 
off  they  went  through  the  air,  flying  as  straight  and  fast 
as  the  strongest  bumblebees  can  go. 

"Let  me  tell  you  one  thing,  my  children,"  said  the 
Fairy  Queen,  "and  it  is  this:  No  matter  what  you  see, 
you  must  not  tell  any  person  where  the  Valley  of  Gold 
is  to  be  found.  That  is  a  secret  which  we  Fairies  have 
guarded  for  thousands  of  years,  and  you  must  by  no 
means  tell  of  it." 

So  both  Zuzu  and  Lulu  promised,  and  ever  since  they 
have  kept  their  word;  and  what  is  told  here  is  told  only 
that  you  may  know  how  wonderful  a  place  it  is,  and  what 
strange  things  are  to  be  seen  there;  but  no  one  can  tell 
you  how  to  get  there  unless  you  may  be  fortunate  enough 
to  find  a  White  Cricket  and  ask  of  it  the  way.  And,  as 
White  Crickets  are  very  few  and  hard  to  find,  so  there 
are  very  few  children  who  ever  really  see  Fairy -land, 
and  most  children  are  obliged  only  to  read  about  it  in 
the  stories  of  those  who  have  really  been  there. 

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THE  VALLEY  OF  GOLD 

"When  we  telephoned,"  said  Zuzu,  "we  got  the  wrong 
kind  of  Cricket,  and  had  it  not  been  that  we  had  the 
Enchanted  Banjo  with  us,  we  might  have  met  all  sorts 
of  trouble.  We  thank  you,  good  Queen,  for  not  pun 
ishing  us;  but  we  should  like  to  know  how  the  really- 
truly  Fairy  Telephone  would  be." 

"Good  Banjo,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen,  "can  you  not 
tell  these  dear  young  people  how  the  really-truly  Fairy 
Telephone  goes?" 

"With  the  greatest  of  pleasure,  your  Majesty,"  replied 
the  Banjo,  with  a  smile.  And  then  it  sang: 

TO  TELEPHONE  TO  FAIRY-LAND 

If  you  want  to  telephone  to  Fairy-land 

You  must  have  a  snow-white  Cricket  in  your  hand. 

It  is  easy ;  don't  you  see  ? 

Just  as  easy  as  can  be 
If  the  way  to  telephone  you  understand. 
When  the  crickets  are  all  chirping  in  the  night 
Then  you  have  to  go  and  seek  by  candle-light, 

And  keep  watching  as  you  pass 

Through  the  bushes  and  the  grass 
For  a  Cricket  that  is  perfectly  snow-white. 

"Hello!  Hello!  Is  this  the  land  of  Fairies?" 
"Hello!  Hello!"  you'll  hear  the  faint  reply 

From  one  whose  cheeks  are  redder  than  the  cherries; 
"Hello!  Hello!"     You'll  do  it  if  you  try. 

165 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

When  you  find  the  snow-white  Cricket,  all  you  need 
Is  a  line  that's  made  of  cobweb — yes,  indeed! 

Do  not  let  the  Cricket  go ; 

Hold  it  tight  and  say  '  'Hello!" 
In  the  hollow  of  a  flower  gone  to  seed. 
It's  a  very  simple  thing  to  understand, 
If  you  want  to  telephone  to  Fairy-land 

Take  a  candle;  go  alone; 

Find  the  Fairy  Telephone — 
But  first  have  a  snow-white  Cricket  in  your  hand. 

" Hello!  Hello!  Is  this  the  land  of  Fairies?" 

"Hello!  Hello!"     A  voice  will  come  to  you 

From  one  whose  eyes  are  blacker  than  blackberries — 
'  'Hello !  Hello ! "     Now  talk  an  hour  or  two. 

"Well,"  said  Lulu,  "that  is  certainly  very  nice.  Now 
I  shall  always  know  how  to  talk  to  the  Fairies  over  the 
really-truly  Fairy  Telephone;  so  that,  good  Queen, 
even  although  we  are  very  far  apart,  I  shall  always  call 
up  and  talk  to  you,  no  matter  where  I  am,  almost  every 
day  of  my  life." 

"Thank  you,  my  dear,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen,  "that 
will  be  very  nice,  and  I  do  not  want  you  to  forget  me. 
Now  we  will  go  and  I  will  try  to  show  you  some  more 
things  about  our  country. 

"  Here  you  will  see  by  the  roadside  many  little  houses 
like  smith  shops,  with  tiny  white  smoke  coming  out  of 
each.  This  is  where  my  little  dwarf  Fairies  are  at  work 

166 


THE  VALLEY  OF  GOLD 

making  diamonds,  very  clean  and  white,  among  the  most 
beautiful  stones  of  all,  as  many  think.  But  beyond 
these  houses  are  those  where  the  most  skilful  of  my 
workmen  are  making  the  stones  which  we  prize  more 
than  diamonds,  those  whose  color  is  that  of  your  hair, 
my  dears,  the  royal  blue  malazite  and  the  precious  green 
corazine,  the  like  of  which  can  be  found  nowhere  else 
in  all  the  world.  We  will  ask  for  some  of  these  to  take 
with  us." 

Then  as  she  spoke  there  came  out  from  one  of  the  houses 
a  little  Fairy  with  his  hands  full  of  these  precious  blue 
and  green  stones. 

"Good  morning,  your  Majesty,"  said  he,  "I  knew  you 
would  like  to  see  some  of  our  work  to-day,  for  these  are 
among  the  finest  we  have  ever  produced."  As  he  spoke 
he  placed  in  her  hands  some  shining,  trembling  drops  of 
blue  and  green. 

"These,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen,  "are  made  from 
extracts  of  the  bright  blue  sky,  my  dears,  and  from 
the  essence  of  the  deep  green  leaves." 

"And  did  our  hair  get  its  color  in  the  same  way?" 
asked  Lulu,  wondering. 

"That  may  perhaps  be,"  said  the  Queen,  smiling  at 
her  eagerness.  "  There  are  some  who  think  that  we  come 
from  the  sky  and  from  the  trees,  and  perhaps  this  is 

167 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

true,  for  ever  since  even  Fairies  can  remember,  there 
have  been  the  trees  and  the  sky  just  as  there  have  been 
persons." 

The  Bumblebee  Express  soon  was  progressing  again 
merrily,  and  ere  long  it  brought  them  into  a  deep  depres 
sion  between  two  mountain  peaks  beyond  the  forest. 
The  way  here  was  winding  and  roundabout.  They  went 
on  and  on,  around  and  around,  deeper  and  deeper  into 
the  mountains.  Now  they  began  to  hear  strange  wild 
sounds,  roars  and  deep  hoarse  voices  which  reminded 
them  of  that  of  the  Dragon  in  the  Island  of  Gee- Whiz. 

"Those  are  the  faithful  watch-dogs  of  the  forest," 
explained  the  Queen,  "lions  and  tigers  and  bears,  which 
would  certainly  eat  up  any  one  who  came  hither  without 
my  permission.  They  will  be  harmless  so  long  as  I  am 
with  you,  and  you  need  have  no  fear.  In  a  few  moments 
we  shall  be  at  the  gateway  to  the  Valley  of  Gold." 

Before  long  they  paused  at  what  seemed  to  be  the  end 
of  the  way.  A  steep  rocky  wall  rose  directly  before 
them,  covered  over  with  growing  ivy  and  with  short 
thorny  plants.  On  each  side  of  this  the  mountains  rose 
quite  up  to  the  sky,  so  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as 
getting  around  on  either  hand.  What  was  to  be  done 
now  Zuzu  and  Lulu  could  not  guess,  but  the  Queen  of 
the  Fairies  did  not  hesitate. 

1 68 


THE  VALLEY  OF  GOLD 

She  sprang  from  the  seat  of  the  coach  and  walked 
directly  up  to  the  wall,  upon  which  she  struck  sharply 
five  times  with  her  jeweled  parasol  handle.  "Abra! 
Abra!  Adabra!  Abra!  Abracadabra!  Open!  Open! 
Open!"  she  cried  aloud;  and  her  voice  was  clear  and 
strong  as  well  as  sweet. 

Now  arose  a  great  grumbling  noise  within  the  walls 
of  rock.  Voices  were  heard  shouting,  and  there  came 
the  sound  of  heavy  clanking  and  creaking  of  very  heavy 
machinery. 

"0,  Queen!"  cried  out  a  deep  voice,  as  it  were  from 
the  very  bosom  of  the  rock;  and  the  Queen  called  out: 
"Open!  Open!  Open!  It  is  the  Queen!"  And  as  she 
did  this  hoarse  voices  arose  again  in  unison,  and  the 
groaning  of  heavy  weights  and  chains  continued.  At 
last,  as  they  sat  gazing  at  the  face  of  the  rocky  wall,  to 
their  great  surprise  they  saw  it  open  in  a  tiny  crack, 
as  though  it  were  slowly  splitting  across.  As  they  looked, 
this  crack  widened  steadily  before  their  eyes,  and  they 
saw  that  a  heavy  rock  which  had  made  a  part  of  the  wall 
was  slowly  rising,  a  little  at  a  time.  At  last  it  swung 
quite  free,  and  before  them  lay  a  passageway  through 
the  rock  and  the  concealing  ivy  which  covered  it.  No 
one  in  the  world  would  ever  have  suspected  that  there 
was  a  door  in  the  face  of  this  rock  wall.  It  may  be 

169 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

seen  that  the  Fairies  guard  their  secret  very  carefully. 
Even  to  this  day  men  frequently  pass  by  the  gate  into 
the  valley,  not  seeing  it  in  the  seamless  rock,  and  not 
suspecting  that  they  are  so  near  to  the  great  Valley 
of  Gold. 

The  Queen  now  took  her  seat  and  motioned  to  the 
coachman  to  drive  on  through  the  gateway.  He 
did  so,  and  as  they  went  forward  they  saw  a  great  golden 
light  flooding  out  to  meet  them.  They  passed  between 
long  rows  of  dark,  fierce-looking  warriors,  armed  with 
swords  and  spears  and  shields,  all  dark-bearded  and  broad- 
shouldered.  These  frowned  at  the  new-comers,  but  the 
Queen  raised  her  hand  to  restrain  them,  and  the  Twins 
passed  on  in  safety.  As  they  did  so  they  heard,  rattling 
and  clashing  into  place  behind  them,  the  vast  rock  of 
the  gate.  And  so  in  this  new  golden  light  they  looked 
about  on  what  no  other  mortals  yet  have  seen,  and  what, 
in  spite  of  much  longing,  it  is  doubtful  if  any  ever 
again  will  see. 

They  were  in  the  front  portion  of  a  deep  valley  or  cleft 
in  the  mountain.  On  all  hands  the  walls  rose  sheer  and 
smooth,  without  a  crack  or  seam,  almost  up  to  the  blue 
sky,  which  seemed  miles  and  miles  away.  Around  the 
edges  of  the  rocky  walls,  high  above,  grew  dark  forest 
trees,  but  these  were  so  far  away  that  they  seemed  no 

170 


'Quick,  before  the  Dragon  wakens"     Page  113 


THE  VALLEY  OF  GOLD 

larger  than  one's  hand.  From  these  trees  to  the  bottom 
of  the  valley  may  have  been  a  mile,  or  perhaps  two  miles, 
if  it  were  possible  to  get  any  idea  of  distances  in  Fairy 
land.  Not  in  any  place  on  these  naked  walls  was  there 
a  notch  or  step  or  foothold  of  any  kind.  Across  the  valley 
may  have  been  two  miles  or  three,  or  perhaps  ten  or 
twenty,  so  hard  was  it  to  tell  of  such  things  in 
this  peculiar  golden  wavering  light  which  filled  all  the 
place.  This  light,  it  was  easy  to  be  seen,  was  the  only 
one  known  in  the  valley,  for  the  entire  valley  lay  in  the 
shadow,  the  light  from  the  sky  marking  the  rocky  walls 
only  a  little  way  down  from  the  top. 

"  There  is  but  one  hour  in  the  day  when  the  sun  shines 
into  the  magic  Valley  of  Gold,"  said  the  Queen.  "At 
dawn,  it  falls  through  a  notch  upon  the  farther  side, 
which  you  can  not  see  from  here,  and  the  sunlight  enters 
the  valley  for  a  short  time.  A  path  leads  to  that  notch, 
it  is  said,  though  I  myself  have  never  seen  it;  but  it  is 
fatal  to  tread  that  path  and  to  look  over  into  the  valley 
when  the  sun  shines  in;  for  the  great  reflection  upward 
from  the  Mother  of  Gold — this  great  vein  of  gold  which 
runs  across  the  valley  and  from  which  comes  this  golden 
light  that  you  see — is  so  strong  that  any  one  who  looks 
upon  it  is  at  once  smitten  blind,  and  may  never  see  again. 
So  perhaps  you  may  see  how  difficult  it  is  to  find  this 

171 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

valley,  or  even  to  enjoy  it  when  found;  for  if  you  had 
all  the  gold  in  the  world — even  this  Madre  d'Oro,  the 
Mother  of  all  the  Gold,  as  the  Fairies  say — it  would  do 
you  no  good,  for  at  once  its  possession  would  destroy 
all  its  enjoyment." 

Zuzu  and  Lulu  wondered  and  wondered  at  all  these 
things,  and  were  not  a  little  frightened,  for  on  all  hands 
they  still  heard  groanings  and  murmurings,  and  strange 
voices  deep  within  the  earth. 

"Keep  close  to  me,  my  children,"  said  the  Queen, 
"and  do  not  fear.  Now  we  shall  see  the  vision  of  the 
Mother  of  Gold  in  all  its  splendor." 


172 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  MOTHER  OF  GOLD 

As  the  Fairy  Queen  spoke,  she  descended  from  the 
coach  and  held  out  a  hand  each  to  Lulu  and  Zuzu.  She 
led  them  onward  through  a  sort  of  hedge  of  dense  trees 
which  lay  before  them,  and  beyond  which  there  arose 
the  flickering  light,  yellow  and  warm,  that  had  appeared 
to  color  all  the  air  of  the  Secret  Valley.  At  length 
they  stepped  out  in  full  view  of  the  great  source  of  all 
this  light,  and  saw  before  them  the  most  strange  and 
wonderful  thing  they  had  ever  seen  in  all  their  lives. 

From  directly  at  their  feet,  entirely  across  the  Valley 
as  far  as  they  could  see,  there  ran  a  great  ledge  or  dam 

173 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

of  pure  gold,  which  yet  did  not  seem  solid,  for  it  seemed 
to  rise  and  fall  and  flutter  as  though  it  were  almost  ready 
to  melt  and  flow;  but  it  never  did  so.  This  great  vein 
of  gold  was  many  miles  in  length,  so  far  as  they  could 
tell;  and  how  far  back  at  each  end  it  ran  into  the  foot 
of  the  walls  of  the  Valley  no  one  could  tell.  Its  front 
or  face  broke  off  like  a  wall,  or  rather  like  the  side  of 
a  dam,  perhaps  fifty  feet  or  more  from  top  to  bottom. 
Over  this  ledge  or  dam,  a  short  distance  out  toward 
the  wall  of  the  valley,  there  flowed  a  broad  river  of 
clear  water,  white  as  crystal,  which  made  a  deep  pool 
below  the  ledge  of  gold;  and  thrusting  up  through  this 
sheet  of  falling  water  were  points  of  rock  which  sparkled 
like  diamonds,  or  gleamed  dull  and  white  like  pearls; 
and  such  was  the  peculiar  quality  of  this  great  ledge  of 
seemingly  living  gold,  that,  as  the  water  fell  over  it,  it 
partly  turned  into  a  sort  of  vapor;  and  in  this  vapor, 
rising  continually  and  floating  away  up  into  the  sky,  were 
thousands  of  butterflies,  all  gold  and  black  and  green, 
floating  away  upon  many-colored  bubbles,  like  soap  bub 
bles,  very  light  and  fine.  These  came  streaming  up  and  up 
all  the  time,  and  danced  out  toward  the  top  of  the  Valley 
as  far  as  any  one  could  see.  So  now  Lulu  and  Zuzu  knew 
where  the  butterflies  come  from  in  the  spring,  when  they 
appear  fluttering  up  from  the  south  to  play  among  the 


THE  MOTHER  OF  GOLD 

flowers.  They  come  from  the  hidden  Valley  of  Gold; 
and  the  gold  they  have  upon  their  wings  they  certainly 
get  from  this  great  ledge  of  gold  which  lies  across  the 
Fairy  Valley. 

Near  to  the  place  where  they  stood  were  thousands 
of  other  Fairies  working  upon  the  linings  of  mother-of- 
pearl  which  lined  the  shells  that  lay  along  the  ledge. 
These  also  made  numbers  of  the  bubbles  upon  which 
the  butterflies  were  floating.  So  then  the  Twins  knew 
where  the  bubbles  come  from  that  we  see  sometimes; 
they  are  made  by  Fairies.  Again  in  another  place  very 
many  Fairies  were  making  all  sorts  of  beautiful  flowers — 
blue,  and  pink,  and  crimson,  every  color  in  the  world, 
and  both  large  and  small.  Upon  trees  near  by,  and  spread 
out  upon  the  rocks  also,  were  numbers  of  delicate  brace 
lets  and  brooches  and  rings  and  pins,  and  all  manner  of 
beautiful  and  rare  things  in  gold  and  gems.  So  now 
the  Twins  knew  whence  come  the  bracelets  and  rings  and 
ornaments  of  that  kind,  which  so  few  people  have  ever 
seen  made. 

Over  all  this  scene  of  beauty  there  arose  sweet  music,, 
very  peaceful  and  calm,  as  though  it  came  from  the 
bottom  places  of  the  earth,  of  which  no  one  knows  more 
than  a  very  little,  unless  one  has  been  in  Fairy-land. 
All  this  was  so  beautiful  and  strange  that  the  Twins  sat 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

down  and  hardly  knew  what  to  do.  They  watched  the 
great  ledge  of  the  Mother  of  Gold  heave  and  swell  and 
sink  and  rise  again,  and  saw  the  Fairies  making  these 
beautiful  things,  and  saw  flitting  across  the  Valley 
beautiful  birds  with  long  tails,  as  long  as  one's  arm,  and 
with  crests  as  long  as  one's  hand,  and  with  feathers 
which  seemed  of  gold  and  pearl  and  green  and  blue ;  and 
the  voices  of  these  birds  seemed  to  them  the  sweetest 
they  had  ever  heard. 

The  Fairy  Queen  allowed  them  to  sit  and  look  as 
long  as  they  liked,  and  bade  them  take  up  all  the  pieces 
of  gold  and  gems  and  jewels  which  they  liked — all  the 
diamonds  and  other  precious  stones.  '  'This,  my  children, ' ' 
:she  said,  "is  where  mortals  get  their  gold  and  precious 
gems.  These  come  from  the  Fairy  Valley.  Here  it 
is  that  we  secure  all  the  gold  required  by  the  King 
whom  you  have  left  behind  in  the  Island,  and  the  gems 
in  which  the  King  and  his  friends  delight.  But  since 
you  have  seen  this  vision  of  the  Mother  of  Gold,  you 
must  not  tell  even  the  King  where  it  is,  for  in  that  case 
some  of  his  friends  might  make  war  upon  us,  and  we 
should  have  to  summon  from  under  the  earth  many  of 
these  fierce  warriors  whose  voices  you  have  heard.  For 
all  the  people  who  live  under  the  earth  fight  to  the  last 
to  conceal  this  gold  from  all  the  rest  of  the  world;  and 

176 


THE  MOTHER  OF  GOLD 

that,  as  you  may  readily  understand,  is  the  reason  why 
gold  and  jewels  are  so  hard  to  get,  and  why  they  are  by 
many  considered  so  valuable. 

"  Now  when  you  have  seen  all  you  wish  and  when  you 
feel  that  you  will  not  need  to  come  again — for  no  one 
but  myself  ever  twice  sees  the  vision  of  the  Mother  of 
Gold — we  will  go  back  and  look  at  other  things  for  a 
time;  but  you  need  not  do  this  until  you  feel  that  you 
will  be  very  happy  and  contented  to  do  so." 

"I  am  sure  we  shall  be  happy  and  contented/'  said 
Lulu,  "for  now  we  see  that  what  we  once  thought  was 
very  rare  is  indeed  very  abundant,  and  that  to  hold  much 
of  it  in  one's  hand  does  not  seem  to  make  one  feel  much 
better  than  before.  See,  my  hands  are  full  of  gold, 
and  I  want  no  more." 

"Then,"  said  the  Queen,  "since  you  promise  to  be 
happy  and  contented,  we  may  go."  So  saying  she 
beckoned  to  the  coachman,  and  the  Bumblebee  Express 
swept  up  once  more,  the  bumblebees  stamping  and 
champing  at  their  bits.  And  now  again  the  mighty  gate 
of  stone  swung  open,  and  once  more  it  closed  behind 
them;  the  savage  warriors  fell  into  place  behind  them; 
and  after  they  had  passed  the  gate  they  heard  groans 
and  murmurs  from  below  and  behind  them;  and  then 
once  more  came  the  roaring  of  the  tigers  and  the  lions 

177 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

which  live  without  the  gates  and  which  aid  in  the  guard 
ing  of  the  treasure.  So  presently  they  were  flying  again 
along  the  crooked  road  between  the  mountains,  and  as 
they  looked  back,  to  their  great  surprise  they  could  not 
tell  which  was  the  mountain  pass  out  of  which  they  had 
come;  for  now  there  appeared  to  be  several,  and  they 
all  looked  alike. 

"  That  is  just  as  well,"  said  Zuzu,  "  for  we  have  promised 
to  be  happy  and  contented,  and  not  to  wish  to  go  back 
again  to  the  Valley  of  Gold." 


178 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  SECRET  WISH  OF  THE  FAIRY  QUEEN 

"Good  Queen,"  said  Zuzu  to  the  Fairy  Monarch  Zulena, 
when  the  Bumblebee  Express  had  finally  brought  them 
back  again  to  the  Fairy  city  of  Almalena,  "  there  is 
something  which  perhaps  you  have  forgotten,  or  which 
at  least  you  have  not  mentioned  for  some  time." 

"And  pray  what  is  that?"  asked  the  Fairy  Queen. 

"  Why,  we  have  all  of  us  quite  forgotten  the  poor  King, 
who  has  lost  his  shadow." 

"Indeed,  I  have  not,"  said  the  Queen  Zulena;  "but, 
as  I  have  told  you,  I  can  only  show  you  where  the  Wicked 

179 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

Fairy  lives  who  took  the  shadow.  As  that  is  something 
belonging  to  the  country  of  the  Island,  I  have  only 
partial  power  over  it.  If  I  should  seize  upon  this  shadow 
and  take  it  to  the  palace,  there  is  no  one  there  whom 
it  would  fit;  and  as  to  taking  it  up  the  Golden  Ladder 
myself,  that  is  quite  out  of  the  question.  If  I  did  that 
I  should  be  called  a  very  forward  Queen  indeed ;  so  upon 
the  whole  I  hardly  know  what  to  do  about  it,  except 
to  take  you  upon  a  visit  to  the  home  of  the  Wicked  Fairy 
Gobo." 

"  If  it  be  true  that  the  Wicked  Fairy  has  also  taken  the 
White  Cricket,"  said  Lulu,  "then  the  King  cannot  tele 
phone  you  any  more." 

"That  is  true!"  said  the  Fairy  Queen;  and  to  their 
great  surprise  she  broke  out  weeping,  the  first  time 
that  any  such  thing  had  ever  happened  in  all  her  life. 
"I  have  not  heard  from  the  King  for  many  days,"  she 
said;  "and  now  I  know  that  he  can  never  telephone  me 
again,  because  certainly  the  White  Cricket  which  I  gave 
him  has  been  taken  away  by  this  Wicked  Fairy." 

"But,"  said  Lulu,  who  also  wept  at  seeing  the  good 
Queen  in  trouble,  "why  can  we  not  find  this  Wicked  Fairy 
and  ask  whether  he  has  these  things?  Perhaps  we  can 
get  them  back  again.  I  could  carry  the  White  Cricket 
in  my  pocket,  and  Zuzu  could  carry  the  shadow,  if  it 

1 80 


THE  SECRET  WISH  OF  THE  FAIRY  QUEEN 

were  not  too  large,  and  so  we  could  manage  in  some  way 
to  get  back  up  the  Golden  Ladder,  even  if  your  Majesty 
could  not  send  us  in  the  Bumblebee  Express.", 

"  Could  you  do  that,  my  dears? "  said  the  Fairy  Queen, 
"  would  you  be  so  good  as  to  do  these  kind  things  for  me  ? " 

"  Certainly,"  said  Lulu,  "  we  should  be  glad  to.  We  do 
not  want  to  go  away  from  you,  for  this  is  the  loveliest 
place  we  have  ever  seen  in  all  our  lives,  but  mamma  will 
be  anxious  about  us  before  long;  and  since  you,  too, 
would  like  the  poor  King  to  have  back  his  shadow  again, 
perhaps  you  would  not  mind  if  we  go  back  for  a  time. 
We  will  come  again  whenever  you  telephone  and  ask  us 
to  do  so ;  for  you  must  know  that  we  have  thrones  near 
the  King,  and  he  tells  us  everything  he  does.  We 
should  like  you  to  get  us  past  the  Dragon,  for  we  might 
not  be  able  to  get  off  the  Dragon's  leg  so  easily  the  next 
time;  and  if  we  did  not,  there  might  be  all  sorts  of 
trouble." 

"  But  what  shall  I  do  without  you,  my  dears? "  said  the 
Fairy  Queen.  "  I  wanted  you  to  join  my  dear  little 
pages,  Fofo  and  Fifi,  at  my  throne;  then  I  should  have 
had  four  pages — two  boys  and  two  girls — and  with  the 
most  beautiful  hair  in  all  the  world.  I  love  you  so  much, 
my  dears,  that  I  can  not  bear  to  have  you  go  away." 

181 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"In  my  opinion,"  said  Zuzu  thoughtfully,  "the  best 
way  would  be  for  you  and  the  King  to  make  some  sort 
of  arrangement  about  the  Dragon  and  the  Golden  Ladder. 
In  that  case  it  might  be  easy  to  turn  the  two  kingdoms 
into  one.  And  what  is  the  use  of  having  two  thrones, 
one  here  and  one  there,  if  one  will  do  quite  as  well?" 

As  she  heard  these  words  the  face  of  the  Fairy  Queen 
was  wreathed  in  smiles.  "How  I  love  you,  my  dear 
boy!"  said  she.  "But,  alas!"  she  added  with  a  sigh, 
"that  is  impossible,  I  fear.  Although  I  can  give  wishes 
to  others  outside  my  kingdom,  when  I  wish  anything 
for  myself  outside  my  kingdom,  I  have  no  power." 

"  But,"  cried  Lulu  gleefully,  ''here  are  our  two  Wishing 
Wands,  given  us  by  the  King,  and  each  of  them  has  a 
wish  left  unwished.  Will  not  these  two  wishes  be  enough  ? 
See,  we  shall  wish  just  as  you  wish,  because  you  have 
been  so  good  to  us." 

"Ah!  my  children,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen,  trembling 
with  eagerness,  "be  careful  what  you  say.  Pray  do  not 
wish  for  anything  until  I  have  had  time  to  think!  Tell 
me,  my  dears,  when  you  are  back  in  the  country  of  the 
King  whence  you  came  hither,  will  you  then  wish  the 
wish  which  I  wish  also? " 

"Truly  we  will! "  they  both  said  in  reply. 

182 


THE  SECRET  WISH  OF  THE  FAIRY  QUEEN 

11  Then  I  will  whisper  it  to  you,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen; 
"but  you  must  not  tell  any  one  until  you  have  reached 
the  palace  of  the  King,  and  then  you  may  wish  it  out 
plain  and  strong;  and  I  pray  all  the  Fairies  that  obey 
me  to  help  that  wish  to  come  true,  for  in  that  case  I 
myself  would  always  be  very  happy  and  contented." 

So  then  the  Fairy  Queen  Zulena  bent  over  and  whis 
pered  in  their  ears  the  wish  that  was  in  her  heart. 

11  Now  then,"  said  Zuzu,  "let  us  go  to  the  mountain  of 
the  Wicked  Fairy  and  find  the  King's  shadow." 

"Very  good,"  said  the  Queen,  "that  is  excellent 
wisdom,  and  we  shall  all  start  at  once."  So  once  again 
they  stepped  into  the  Fairy  coach,  and  the  good  Queen 
told  the  coachman  to  drive  beyond  the  forest  to  the 
mountain  where  dwelt  Gobo,  the  Wicked  Fairy. 

The  driver  cracked  his  whip,  the  golden  harness  rattled 
and  tinkled,  and  the  wheels  of  the  dainty  coach  began 
to  whir  as  the  steady  buzz  of  the  bumblebees  in  flight 
began. 


183 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THE  QUEEN  RECOVERS  THE  SHADOW 

"Ha!  Gobo,"  cried  the  Fairy  Queen  as  at  last  they 
drove  up  before  the  door  of  the  cave  in  the  mountain 
where  the  Wicked  Fairy  made  his  home,  "we  have  come 
to  question  thee  about  thy  evil  deeds.  Come  hither, 
and  confront  thy  Queen! " 

The  Twins  had  not  thought  that  the  gentle  Queen 
Zulena  could  be  so  stern,  or  that  her  eyes  could  flash 
as  they  did  when  she  spoke  these  words. 

"Aye,  aye,  my  Queen,"  sounded  a  hoarse  voice  from 
within  the  cave ;  and  presently  in  obedience  to  the  order 

184 


THE  QUEEN  RECOVERS  THE  SHADOW 

of  the  Fairy  Monarch  there  stepped  into  view  from  the 
darkness  of  the  cave  the  Wicked  Fairy  Gobo,  whose  evil 
deeds  have  been  recounted  in  our  story.  He  trembled 
as  he  saw  the  sternness  of  the  Queen,  and  began  to 
stammer  and  make  denials. 

"Who  hath  accused  thee,  Gobo?  Yet  now  we  know 
that  well  mightest  thou  be  accused.  Tell  me,  where  hast 
thou  hidden  the  shadow  of  the  King,  which  thou  hast 
stolen?  Where,  too,  is  the  servant  of  the  king,  the 
White  Cricket,  such  as  was  never  found  save  in  the  royal 
gardens  of  our  palace?" 

The  Wicked  Fairy  fell  upon  his  face  on  the  ground, 
but  even  as  he  did  so  the  Queen  raised  her  hand.  There 
came  very  plainly  to  their  ears  the  chirp!  chirp!  of  some 
thing  hidden  within  the  cave. 

"I  may  as  well  confess,"  said  Gobo;  "for  that  is  the 
voice  of  the  Cricket  you  hear.  It  is  of  no  service  to  me,, 
for  a  more  unwilling  Cricket  I  have  never  seen." 

"  Bring  it  to  me! "  commanded  the  Queen,  and  sullenly 
Gobo  did  as  he  was  bidden. 

"  Here,"  said  the  Queen  to  Lulu,  "  is  the  White  Cricket. 
Pray  handle  it  softly,  and  let  no  harm  befall  it.  As  for 
you,  Gobo,  Wicked  Fairy  that  thou  art,  lead  us  at  once 
to  the  hiding-place  of  that  other  thing  which  thou  hast 
stolen." 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

Sullenly  the  Wicked  Fairy  walked  ahead  of  them  toward 
the  edge  of  the  wood,  and  threw  open  there  a  little  gate. 
To  their  great  surprise  they  saw,  standing  near  the  gate, 
leaning  against  a  tree  in  a  shady  place,  nothing  less  than 
the  shadow  of  the  King,  just  as  the  Wicked  Fairy  had 
•stolen  it  more  than  a  week  before! 

Of  course  it  must  be  remembered  that  this  was  the 
•shadow  of  the  King  stolen  after  he  had  taken  the  drink 
from  the  rubber  tree,  and  when  he  was  thrice  his  natural 
height  and  much  distorted,  in  his  dance  high  up  in  the  air. 
It  looked  more  like  the  shadow  of  some  misshapen  giant. 
As  the  Queen  saw  this,  tears  again  came  to  her  eyes. 
'" It  is  not  like  him!"  she  said  mournfully. 

"Tis  as  I  tell  thee,  Queen  Zulena,"  insisted  Gobo, 
"for  I  took  the  shadow  with  my  own  hands,  in  the  broad 
-daylight,  and  I  know  whereof  I  speak.  See,  if  thou 
wouldst  prove  it,  look  at  the  shape  of  his  left  forefinger, 
where  the  King  wore  the  royal  jewel  of  malazite  and 
-corazine,  engraven  by  your  Majesty's  own  Fairies." 

"Ah!  it  is  indeed  true,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen.  " But 
how  changed!  My  dears,"  and  she  whispered  again  to 
the  Twins,  "do  not  forget  your  wish  and  mine." 

"And  now,  sirrah! "  exclaimed  the  Queen,  " Gobo,  Bad 
Fairy  that  thou  art,  thou  must  bow  before  my  power! 
I  know  not  what  punishment  may  be  fit  for  thee." 

186 


To  him  the  King  stated  the  case        Page  138 


THE  QUEEN  RECOVERS  THE  SHADOW 

The  bad  Fairy  writhed  in  the  dust  and  begged  for 
mercy,  promising  anything  that  should  be  asked. 

"First,  we  must  have  the  shadow  of  his  Majesty," 
said  Zuzu. 

"Willingly,"  cried  Gobo,  "willingly!  though  perhaps 
it  may  not  fit  him  now." 

"Never  fear,  Gobo,"  said  the  Queen  Zulena,  "we  our 
selves  shall  see  to  that.  So  fare  ye  well,  wicked  Gobo. 
One  more  such  act  as  this,  and  our  royal  guards  shall 
banish  thee  to  our  jail,  and  fill  thy  cave  to  the  roof  with 
stones.  From  this  time  your  leave  to  go  abroad  is  revoked 
for  a  thousand  years.  Here  must  you  remain  a  prisoner ! " 

"I  crave  a  thousand  pardons,  good  Queen,"  begged 
Gobo,  spreading  out  his  arms  in  submission.  "But 
spare  me  now,  and  I  shall  make  amends  by  leading  the 
life  a  Fairy  should  live  under  so  wise  and  good  a  Queen 
as  thou." 

"  Learn  better  in  the  time  accorded  thee,  and  ask  no 
more,  "said  the  Queen  sternly  in  reply. 

"And  now,  my  children,"  she  continued  as  she  turned 
again  toward  the  Twins,  "let  us  take  the  King's  shadow 
in  the  coach,  and  return  to  the  royal  palace.  I  am  sure 
that  by  careful  labor  I  can  restore  this  poor,  dear  shadow 
to  its  original  shape." 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

As  she  spoke  she  was  about  to  step  again  into  the  coach, 
when  all  at  once  she  turned  toward  the  Enchanted  Banjo, 
as  though  she  had  heard  it  speak. 

"What  is  it,  good  Banjo?"  she  asked.  "And  why 
do  you  laugh  as  though  you  would  split  yourself?  Is  it 
anything  you  want  to  tell  us?" 

"I  was  just  thinking,  your  Majesty,"  replied  the 
Enchanted  Banjo,  "while  we  have  all  been  talking  about 
Wishing  Wands  and  the  like,  about  a  funny  thing  of 
that  sort  that  once  happened  within  my  own  experience. 
I  made  up  a  song  about  it  the  other  night,  and  if  you 
care  to  hear  it,  I  will  sing  it  to  you." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen;  and  so  the  Banjo 
began,  in  a  rich,  full  voice: 

THE  COME-ALL-YE  OF  PAT  McGLORY 

Come  all  ye  fine  young  gintlemin,  I'll  tell  to  ye  a  story 
Concernin'  one  that  I  knew  well;   his  name  was  Pat  McGlory. 
One  mornin'  whin  the  cow  had  died  that  helped  him  run  his  dairy 
He  sat  him  down  an'  cried  an'  cried — when  up  there  leapt  a  Fairy. 
O,  ho,  ho,  ho!     Um,  ha,  ha,  ha! 

The  Fairy  wore  a  golden  crown,  wid  di'monds  in  aich  wing, 
An'  anny  one  would  know  at  once  he  was  the  Fairy  King. 
He  looked  one  moment  at  poor  Pat — this  splendid  little  Fairy — 
Then  whispered  soft  an'  sootherin':  '  'Ye'll  have  a  bran'  new  dairy." 

1 88 


THE  QUEEN  RECOVERS  THE  SHADOW 

He  waved  his  wand  a  time  or  two,  an'  Pat  got  lean  an'  slim, 
An*  whin  the  Fairy  started  off,  why  Pat  wint  after  him ! 
0,  ho,  ho,  ho!     Um,  ha,  ha,  ha! 

He  popped  into  a  hole  that  was  near  by  thim  in  the  ground 
An'  Pat  came  slidin'  after  him  wid:   '  'King,  where  are  we  bound?"" 
The  king  he  answered  not  a  word,  but  stopped  and  touched  a  stone 
An'  there  they  were  in  one  big  hall  befoor  a  golden  throne. 
The  king  he  sat  upon  the  throne,  an'  thin  he  said,  said  he: 
'  'Because  I  like  you,  Pat,  my  lad,  I'll  give  you  wishes  three." 
0,  ho,  ho,  ho!     Um,  ha,  ha,  ha! 

Thin  Pat  he  thought  about  the  things  he  needed  most  right  now, 
An'  said:    "I  can't  make  up  my  mind.     I  wisht  I  had  a  cow." 
The  king  he  waved  his  shinin'  wand,  and  said:  '  'Look  by  yer  side."" 
An'  there  there  stood  a  splindid  cow — 'twas  all  of  four  feet  wide. 
Thin  Pat  he  started  out  wid  her,  an'  first  thing  that  he  knew 
He  found  th'  cow  was  far  too  wide,  he  couldn't  drive  her  through. 
O,  ho,  ho,  ho!     Um,  ha,  ha,  ha! 

"I  wish,"  he  said  unthinkin'  like,  "I  wisht  I  had  you  home." 
Thin — whist!  They  lit  upon  his  barn,  a-straddle  of  the  comb. 
An*  thin  the  cow  began  to  jump  an'  she  began  to  bawl, 
An'  Pat  kept  skippin'  back  an'  forth  for  fear  that  he  would  fall. 
''O,  cow!"  he  cried.  "Nice  cow,  dear  cow!  Sure  I  don't  know  your 

name, 

I  only  wisht  you's  back  within  the  place  from  whince  you  came.'" 
O,  ho,  ho,  ho!     Um,  ha,  ha,  ha! 

At  once  there  was  no  splindid  cow  at  all  for  him  to  see — 
An'  if  you  count  thim  you  will  find  he'd  had  his  wishes  three. 
Come  all  ye  fine  young  gintlemin,  remimber  now  the  story: 
Whinever  you've  a  chance  to  wish,  don't  wish  like  Pat  McGlory.. 
0,  ho,  ho,  ho!     Um,  ha,  ha,  ha 

189 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"Well,"  said  Lulu,  "it  seems  to  me  that  Pat  McGlory 
not  very  bright,  for  he  got  nothing  at  all  for  his 
wishes." 

"There  are  more  persons  like  that  than  would  at  first 
be  supposed  by  any  one  not  in  this  business,"  said  the 
Banjo. 


190 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE  MESSENGERS  OF  THE  FAIRY  QUEEN 

"  My  dear  friends,"  said  the  Fairy  Queen  after  they  had 
arrived  once  more  at  the  palace,  "  I  must  tell  you  more 
about  this  Wicked  Fairy  Gobo.  He  was  once  one  of  my 
trusted  workmen  in  the  valley  where  you  have  seen  the 
Mother  of  Gold.  You  know  how  necessary  it  is  for  the 
greatest  of  care  and  secrecy  to  be  observed  by  every 
person  permitted  within  those  walls ;  for  should  any  un 
faithful  servant  allow  that  secret  to  become  known,  or 
should  he  leave  the  gate  open,  or  should  he  do  any  one 

191 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

of  a  hundred  dangerous  things,  then  all  would  be  lost. 

"Now  this  is  what  the  Wicked  Fairy  Gobo  did;  he 
became  covetous  of  the  gold  which  he  saw  all  about  him, 
and  began,  as  mortals  do,  to  think  this  gold  worth  more 
than  everything  else.  In  short,  he  was  willing  to  do 
anything,  if  only  he  might  control  all  this  gold.  It  was 
he  who  planned  to  open  the  gates  and  let  in  wicked 
persons  who  would  have  robbed  me.  My  faithful  friend 
the  White  Cricket  told  me  of  this,  and  at  once  I  banished 
Gobo  from  the  Valley  of  Gold,  and  changed  the  moun 
tains  all  about,  and  made  new  gates,  and  secured  new 
sentinels  and  guards  of  the  valley;  so  that  Gobo  never 
again  could  find  the  way  thither.  He  has  been  my 
enemy  ever  since,  although  hitherto  I  have  never  punished 
him,  beyond  confining  him  to  yonder  mountain ;  whence 
it  was  his  privilege  to  emerge  twice  a  year.  You  see 
what  he  has  done.  Jealous  that  I  should  hear  from 
the  King  so  often,  Gobo  has  taken  the  shadow  and  with 
it  the  White  Cricket,  so  that  I  could  telephone  no  longer. 
Now  in  order  that  I  may  once  more  hear  from  the  King, 
I  shall  send  him  back,  in  your  hands,  my  dears,  the 
Cricket  for  his  telephone;  and  I  shall  send  him  back  also 
his  shadow,  after  I  have  restored  it  to  its  proper  shape. 
And  I  shall  send  him  also  my  hope ;  and  I  shall  send  him 
the  message  which  I  have  whispered  in  your  ears." 

192 


THE  MESSENGERS  OF  THE  FAIRY  QUEEN 

"But  see  the  poor  shadow,  how  badly  it  is  bent," 
said  Lulu.  "  It  does  not  look  in  the  least  like  the  King 
as  we  know  him." 

"  I  shall  hope  to  be  able  to  straighten  out  the  shadow," 
said  the  Queen.  "It  is  only  the  Wicked  Fairy  who  has 
destroyed  its  beauty  for  the  time." 

"But,"  asked  Zuzu  curiously,  "why  do  you  take  so 
great  an  interest  in  the  King  of  the  Island  of  Gee- Whiz? 
It  always  seemed  to  me  that  he  acted  very  strangely; 
for  sometimes  he  was  friendly  toward  the  Fairies  and 
sometimes  not;  and  often  he  wanted  more  gold." 

"Ah!  that  is  it,"  said  the  Queen,  sighing,  "it  was 
always  that  gold !  It  was  the  Wicked  Fairy  Gobo  who  put 
such  notions  in  his  head;  but  let  us  hope  that  all  will 
yet  be  well.  I  beseech  you  now  to  hold  tight  to  your 
Wishing  Wands,  and  on  no  account  make  another  wish 
until  you  are  in  the  presence  of  the  King  himself. 

"  But  now  it  is  time  that  you  rested  after  these  journeys 
through  my  realm.  You  may  join  Fofo  and  Fifi  for  a 
time  in  the  Fairy  gardens,  and  say  good-by  to  them; 
then  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  eat  your  supper  of 
cakes  and  honey,  and  sleep  soundly  in  readiness  for  the 
journey  up  the  Golden  Ladder.  It  was  my  wish,  as  I 
have  told  you,  to  make  you  my  pages,  and  to  keep  you 
here  in  my  realm  for  ever,  for  you  are  very  good  children 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

indeed;  but  now  I  love  and  trust  you  so  much  that  I 
am  going  to  make  you  my  messengers  instead  of  my 
pages,  and  let  you  go  away  again  for  a  little  time.  In 
order  that  you  may  be  happy  and  contented,  perhaps 
the  Enchanted  Banjo  will  now  play  for  us/' 

So  saying  she  handed  the  Enchanted  Banjo  to  Zuzu, 
and  at  once  as  he  and  Lulu  placed  their  hands  upon  the 
Banjo  it  began  to  sing  for  them. 

FAREWELL  TO  THE  FAIRIES 

Farewell,  Fairies,  gay  and  good; 
You  who  haunt  the  Christmas  Wood, 
You  of  that  thrice  happy  band 
Which  lives  down  in  Candy-land, 
You  who  idle  in  the  shade 
By  the  Lake  of  Lemonade; 
Farewell,  Fairies;  thus  we  sigh 
When  we  come  to  say  good-by. 

You  that  in  the  world  of  dreams 
Sail  in  bubble-boats  the  streams ; 
You  that  hide  beneath  the  grass 
Chanting  to  us  as  we  pass; 
You  that  flash  among  the  trees 
Laughing  at  the  honey-bees — 
Tears  come  sadly  to  each  eye 
When  we  come  to  say  good-by. 
194 


THE  MESSENGERS  OF  THE  FAIRY  QUEEN 

Farewell,  Fairies,  one  and  all — 
Some  day  we  shall  come   and  call 
To  you  from  the  border-land 
In  the  speech  you  understand — 
So  and  so,  and  thus  and  thus — 
Then  you  will  remember  us. 
But  to-day  we  may  but  sigh 
Now  that  we  must  say  good-by. 


Then  the  Queen  bent  over  each  little  pillow  and  spoke 
softly: 

"Before  you  fall  asleep  I  shall  kiss  you  each  good 
night  and  good-by;  for  when  you  awaken  you  will 
be  far  away." 

As  she  kissed  Zuzu  and  Lulu,  they  began  to  feel  very 
drowsy,  but  before  they  had  time  to  reason  it  out  to 
themselves,  they  were  both  fast  asleep.  The  last  thing 
they  knew  was  the  soft  kiss  of  the  Fairy  Queen;  and 
the  last  thing  they  saw  was  the  room  of  the  fairy  palace, 
very  beautiful,  seeming  to  fade  away  and  become  more 
distant  and  indistinct. 


195 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE  RETURN  TO  THE  ISLAND 

When  they  awoke,  Zuzu  and  Lulu  rubbed  their  eyes 
very  hard,  and  looked  around  them  in  wonder;  as, 
indeed,  well  they  might.  They  were  now  not  in  the  fairy 
palace  at  all,  but  once  more  alone,  and  at  the  top  of  the 
Golden  Ladder,  whose  long  lines  they  could  see  far,  far 
below  them,  shining  like  the  beams  of  the  sun  at  evening 
or  morning.  Near  by  them  rose  the  walls  of  the  rocky 
pass  in  which  lived  Jankow,  the  Dragon,  and  near  them 
was  the  end  of  the  tail  of  the  Dragon.  They  could  hear 
its  harsh  voice  coming  to  their  ears  very  plainly. 

196 


THE  RETURN  TO  THE  ISLAND 

"  Do  not  be  afraid,"  said  Zuzu  to  Lulu,  "for  I  am  sure 
that  the  Fairy  Queen  will  protect  us,  even  though  we  do 
not  see  her  at  the  moment.  We  shall  be  quite  safe, 
also,  because  I  have  the  wooden  leg  of  the  Dragon;  and 
here  I  have  the  shadow  of  the  King,  all  straight  and  fine 
and  new  again ;  and  you  have  the  White  Cricket  in  your 
pocket ;  so  I  am  sure  they  will  all  be  glad  to  see  us  back 
again  when  we  tell  them  where  we  have  been." 

At  the  same  time,  although  Zuzu  spoke  boldly,  both 
he  and  Lulu  kept  very  close  to  the  wall  as  they  edged 
along  the  narrow  opening  from  the  top  of  the  Golden 
Ladder  to  the  front  of  the  gorge  where  the  head  of  the 
Dragon  lay. 

The  Dragon  was  engaged  in  loud  roaring  as  usual,  but 
his  voice  was  hoarse  and  weary.  Instead  of  sitting  up 
straight  upon  his  front  feet,  he  leaned  over  against  the 
side  of  the  rock-wall  in  a  very  sad  sort  of  way. 

"  Oh,  dear! "  said  the  Dragon  to  himself — so  loudly  that 
they  heard  his  words  distinctly — "this  is  indeed  terrible 
to  have  to  go  through  life  with  but  one  leg  in  front. 
Some  say  that  as  a  Dragon  has  a  dozen  legs,  and  a  tail 
as  well,  he  should  not  miss  a  leg  here  or  there,  but  I  am 
sure  those  who  say  this  do  not  know  the  real  truth. 
If  only  I  could  get  back  my  leg,  I  would  ask  no  questions, 
I  am  sure." 

197 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

At  this  Zuzu  felt  the  Enchanted  Banjo  nudge  him  in 
the  side,  and  guessing  what  it  meant,  he  stepped  for 
ward  boldly. 

"Good  Dragon  Jankow,"  he  said,  "here  then  is  your 
leg,  as  good  as  new.  Let  us  pass,  and  we  shall  put  back 
the  leg,  so  that  you  can  sit  up  again  and  see  all  that  is 
going  on;  but  we  claim  your  promise,  and  you  must  ask 
no  questions." 

The  Dragon  turned  upon  him  one  of  its  large  eyes  in 
which  at  first  chiefly  anger  showed ;  but  when  its  eye 
fell  upon  the  wooden  leg  the  Dragon's  mouth  opened 
in  a  wide  smile  of  joy. 

"Is  it  a  bargain?"  asked  Zuzu. 

The  Dragon  nodded  three  times,  which  meant  that  it 
was  a  bargain;  so  Zuzu  leaned  the  shadow  of  the  King 
against  a  tree  not  far  away,  and,  handing  Lulu  the 
Enchanted  Banjo,  he  began  at  once  to  screw  back  in 
place  the  wooden  leg  of  the  Dragon. 

When  he  had  completed  this  act  the  Dragon  wriggled 
all  over  with  joy,  sat  up  straight  in  front  again,  and 
gave  a  loud  roar  of  pleasure. 

"Now,"  it  said,  "I  am  something  like  a  Dragon  once 
more ;  and  let  all  persons  beware  of  my  might.  Arrngh  I 
Arrngh!  Arrngh!" 

198 


THE  RETURN  TO  THE  ISLAND 

"  I  am  sure,  my  good  friends,"  he  explained  to  them, 
"  you  can  not  understand  how  much  I  have  missed  that 
leg.  Many  persons  will  tell  you  that  a  wooden  leg  is  a 
very  poor  one,  but  I  can  assure  you  that  when  you  have 
been  used  to  a  wooden  leg  for  several  hundred  years' 
it  is  a  very  good  leg  indeed  to  have,  and  one  that  you  miss, 
very  much  when  it  is  gone.  As  you  go  on  toward  the 
palace,  my  dear  friends,  I  wish  you  would  inform  the 
King  that  his  faithful  Army  is  again  quite  ready  for 
business,  and  will  defend  the  Island  against  all  intruders." 

Zuzu  and  Lulu  now  ran  forward  through  the  wood 
quite  rapidly  for  a  way,  but  as  they  approached  the 
palace  their  steps  began  to  lag.  "Suppose  mamma 
should  want  to  punish  us,"  said  Zuzu.  This  caused  Lulu 
to  think  very  hard  for  a  moment. 

"It  may  be  that  she  will,"  said  she  finally,  "but  per 
haps,  on  the  other  hand,  she  too  will  be  glad  to  have 
us  back  and  no  questions  asked.  It  seems  to  me  that 
the  best  thing  we  can  do  is  to  have  the  Banjo  play  for  us. 
Perhaps  they  will  forgive  us  without  our  asking  it,  but 
we  would  better  ask  the  Banjo  how  we  can  tell  about 
that." 

So  again  they  placed  the  Banjo  r'n  position  and  once 
more  it  began  to  play;  and  it  told  how  one  can  always, 
tell  whether  or  not  one's  mother  wants  one. 

199 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 
THE  WISE  DANDELIONS 

When  dandelions  have  grown  white 

Then  they  are  wise  as  wise  can  be ; 
Their  fluff,  all  feathery  and  light, 

Holds  messages  for  you  and  me. 
We  ask:  ' 'Does  mamma  want  me  now?" 

Then  puff  our  cheeks  and  blow  and  blow 
And  when  the  fluff  flies  off,  somehow, 

It  means  that  homeward  we  must  go. 

It's  always  true,  no  matter  where 

You  are,  if  you  will  try  the  spell 
And  puff  the  fluff  into  the  air, 

If  mamma  wants  you,  it  will  tell. 
But  still,  it's  strange — you  wonder  why, 

And  more  and  more  your  wonder  grows 
When  you  see  right  before  your  eye 

How  well  the  dandelion  knows. 

Whene'er  you  take  the  ball  of  fluff 

And  whisper  to  it  soft  and  low 
And  hold  your  breath,  and  then  go  '  Tuff!" 

Away  the  fluff  is  sure  to  go. 
And  then  if  homeward  you  make  speed 

You'll  find  the  message  was  quite  true 
For  if  you  ask  mamma,  indeed, 

She'll  say :  '  'What  ?     Want  you  ?     Yes,  I  do ! " 

Lulu  picked  up  a  big,  white,  fluffy  dandelion,  and  blew 
and  blew  at  the  top  until  all  the  fluff  was  gone. 

"  Ah,"  said  she,  "it  is  plain  that  mamma  will  be  glad 
to  see  us  back  again.'* 

200 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

THE  HAPPY  ENDING  OF  THE  STORY 

Now  at  the  royal  palace  of  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz  all 
was  gloom  and  sadness,  as  may  readily  be  supposed. 
The  Widow  Pickle  had  lost  more  than  thirty  pounds 
in  weight  from  weeping  so  incessantly;  the  Private 
Secretary  was  also  worn  almost  to  a  shadow,  while  the 
Court  Physician,  the  Court  Detective,  and  the  Court 
Lawyer  all  confessed  themselves  on  the  verge  of  despair 
and  in  fear  of  their  lives ;  as  by  this  time  they  had  been 
obliged  to  admit  their  entire  inability  to  solve  the  mystery 
regarding  the  disappearance  of  the  Twins,  of  the  Enchanted 

201 


THE  KING  OF  GEE- WHIZ 

Banjo,  of  the  shadow  of  the  King,  and  of  the  Dragon's 
wooden  leg.  The  King  himself  was  by  this  time  very 
thin  and  weary-looking,  and  took  no  delight  even  in 
Waffles,  while  the  mere  thought  of  syrup  caused  him  to 
shudder.  "My  life  is  ruined,"  said  he,  "and  I  shall 
never  again  be  happy."  This  he  repeated  over  and  over 
again. 

"Without  a  shadow  I  no  longer  desire  to  be  King," 
said  he  at  length  to  the  Private  Secretary.  "Elect  a 
Council,  if  you  like,  and  have  them  make  the  laws  and 
do  the  ruling  as  they  please.  I  am  going  to  cease  being 
King,  because  I  am  not  happy  and  contented." 

It  was  just  at  this  time  that  there  was  heard,  far  off 
in  the  forest,  the  sound  of  the  Enchanted  Banjo,  playing 
the  air  which  has  been  mentioned.  At  this  sound 
the  King  sat  up  very  straight  on  his  throne  and  began 
to  listen.  At  that  moment  there  rushed  toward  him  the 
Court  Detective,  who  exclaimed,  "Your  Majesty!  Your 
Majesty!  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  I  have  dis 
covered  the  Enchanted  Banjo!" 

"Where?"  asked  the  King. 

The  Court  Detective  pointed  toward  the  sound,  and 
answered,  "There!" 

"Ah,"  said  the  King,  "I  had  discovered  that  much 
myself." 

202 


THE  HAPPY  ENDING  OF  THE  STORY 

At  that  moment  the  Court  Physician  hastened  up  and 
exclaimed,  "Your  Majesty!  Your  Majesty!  I  have  the 
honor  to  report  that  you  are  going  to  be  much  better  very 
soon!" 

"Ah!"  said  the  King,  "I  knew  that  much  myself;" 
and  he  settled  his  royal  waistcoat  in  front  and  began  to 
look  interested. 

"Your  Majesty!  Your  Majesty!"  cried  the  Court 
Lawyer,  excitedly  running  up  at  this  moment,  "  I  have 
the  honor  to  report  that  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  behead 
the  Court  Detective!  I  have  rendered  my  opinion." 

"Indeed?"  said  the  King.  "I  have  just  rendered  that 
opinion  for  myself." 

"Your  Majesty!  Your  Majesty!"  cried  the  Widow 
Pickle,  also  appearing  at  this  moment,  quite  out  of 
breath,  "  I  am  sure  my  Twins  are  coming  home." 

"  Indeed? "  said  the  King.  "  I  was  of  that  belief  myself 
before  you  spoke.  I  beg  you  all  to  observe  that  I  am 
King  on  this  Island,  and  I  propose  now  to  resume  my 
reigning  for  a  time,  to  show  that  I  am  King.  Yet  what, 
I  should  like  to  ask,  do  all  these  matters  benefit  me, 
who  am  as  shadowless  as  before?" 

There  was  no  time  to  answer  him,  for  at  that  moment, 
to  their  great  surprise,  there  emerged  from  the  edge  of 
the  forest  the  Twins,  carrying  the  Enchanted  Banjo 

203 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

between  them  and  carrying  also  their  lunch  basket  and 
the  shadow  of  the  King.  They  walked  at  once  directly 
in  front  of  the  throne  and  as  soon  as  their  mother  had 
kissed  them  again  and  again,  they  signaled  that  they 
would  like  the  attention  of  those  present. 

" Listen!"  cried  the  King  of  Gee- Whiz,  "the  Royal 
Hereditary  Twins  of  the  Island  of  Gee- Whiz  will  now 
be  heard!" 

The  King's  voice  was  weak  because  of  his  longing  for 
his  shadow.  He  did  not  suspect  it,  although  it  was  a 
fact,  that  Zuzu  was  holding  his  shadow  before  him  in 
plain  view.  It  was  so  new  and  handsome  a  shadow 
that  the  King  did  not  recognize  it  as  his  own. 

"  0  King  ! "  said  Zuzu,  approaching  and  kneeling 
before  the  throne.  And  Lulu  also  came  and  knelt  say 
ing  "0  King!"  They  held  the  Royal  Wishing  Wands 
high  above  them. 

"  We  come  as  messengers  from  the  good  Queen  Zulena, 
Ruler  of  the  Fairies,"  said  Zuzu;  "and  we  bring  a  wish 
to  you  from  her,  which  she  wished  us  to  wish  on  our  Royal 
Wishing  Wands." 

"Zulena!"  gasped  the  King,  falling  back  upon  the 
drapery  of  his  throne  with  his  hand  at  his  throat. 
11  Zulena! — is  it  -possible  that  she — " 

204 


The  bad  Fairy  begged  for  mercy        Page  187 


THE  HAPPY  ENDING  OF  THE  STORY 

"0  King!"  said  the  Twins  together,  both  rubbing 
hard  at  their  Wishing  Wands,  "  this  wish  has  been  kept 
a  secret  for  many  years  in  the  heart  of  the  Queen  of  the 
Fairies,  This  is  the  wish:  That  you  be  restored  to  your 
former  self  again;  that  you  cease  to  value  gold  as  the 
greatest  of  all  things;  that  you  remember  the  friend 
ships  of  your  earlier  days;  and  that  for  ever  you  may 
be  happy  and  contented!  " 

Then  to  their  great  surprise  a  strange  and  wonderful 
thing  occurred,  directly  before  their  eyes.  The  form  of 
the  King  of  Gee- Whiz  straightened  up.  The  tired  look 
faded  away  from  his  face.  His  hair  became  long  and 
glossy  and  dark.  His  eyes  became  bright  and  merry. 
His  garb  grew  yet  more  shining  and  splendid;  and  at 
once  his  bearing  was  that  of  a  young  and  handsome 
man,  as  indeed  he  now  was.  With  his  hand  at  the  hilt 
of  his  sword,  he  stepped  down  from  the  first  step  of  his 
throne,  and  with  a  truly  royal  air  raised  his  hand  and 
exclaimed:  "Long  live  the  Queen  Zulena,  the  Sovereign 
to  whom  I  send  my  homage! " 

As  he  said  these  words  all  bowed  down  before  him  as. 
though  a  strong  wind  had  swept  them  forward.  The  King, 
spoke  again. 

"My  shadow,  please!"  he  said.  Without  further 
speech  Zuzu  handed  him  his  shadow,  recently  twisted 

205 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

and  distorted,  but  now  new  and  handsome  as  the  King 
himself.  To  their  great  surprise  it  fitted  the  King  per 
fectly  in  every  way. 

The  face  of  the  King  was  stern  and  commanding  now, 
though  very  handsome  and  very  glad.  "My  Royal 
Cricket  now,  good  Princess,"  said  he  to  Lulu;  "for  now 
we  shall  send  word  of  our  own  to  our  ruler,  the  good 
Queen  who  has  set  us  free  from  all  Wicked  Fairies." 

Lulu  bowed  low  before  the  King,  and  presented  to 
him  the  White  Cricket;  which  at  once  took  its  place 
under  the  shadow  of  the  King.  In  a  moment  it  had 
found  a  floating  film  of  gossamer,  the  web  of  the  Fairy 
spiders,  and  the  King  inclined  his  ear  as  he  heard  a  voice 
far  off  chirping. 

"  That,"  said  the  King,  "is  the  telephone  to  Fairy-land. 
And  now  a  royal  wish  of  our  own :  May  the  Fairies  help 
a  Monarch  who  wishes  always  to  be  wise  and  good. 
Zulena!  Zulena!" 

And  lo!  as  they  all  gazed  at  the  spot  where  he  stood, 
to  their  great  surprise  they  saw  standing  there,  smiling 
and  bowing  and  looking  very  sweet,  no  less  a  person  than 
Zulena,  the  good  Queen  of  the  Fairies. 

Kneeling  to  her,  before  them  all,  the  King  kissed  her 
hand.  The  face  of  the  Queen  was  now  very  glad  and 
happy. 

206 


THE  HAPPY  ENDING  OF  THE  STORY 

"Now,"  said  the  King,  rising  and  again  looking  very 
handsome,  and  very  stern  as  well  as  very  kind  at  the 
same  time,  "  we,  the  good  Queen  Zulena  and  I,  shall  rule 
this  country  together  from  our  joint  throne.  We  shall 
ever  defend  the  secret  of  the  Fairy  Valley  where  lies  the 
Mother  of  Gold.  From  this  time  on  it  shall  be  our 
greatest  task  to  spread  abroad  content  and  happiness 
for  all." 

"  My  lord  speaks  well  and  wisely,"  said  the  sweet  voice 
of  the  Fairy  Queen,  "  and  that  all  may  know  our  wishes 
to  be  the  same,  I  shall  grant  to  each  of  our  subjects  here 
present,  before  the  Royal  Wedding  March  begins,  one 
wish  each,  for  that  which  is  best  for  the  one  wishing  it." 

The  Court  Detective,  the  Court  Physician,  and  the 
Court  Lawyer  each  wished  for  greater  wisdom;  and  this 
the  Royal  Couple  said  was  a  very  desirable  wish,  and 
should  be  granted.  The  Private  Secretary  asked  that 
he  might  be  continued  all  his  life  in  the  service  of  the 
King;  and  this  was  granted  him,  for  a  better  Private 
Secretary  was  never  known.  The  Prince  Zuzu,  and  the 
Princess  Lulu — for  so  they  might  as  well  be  called  at 
this  time — each  wished  that  all  their  friends  might  be 
happy  and  contented,  that  the  King  and  Queen  might 
live  and  reign  for  ever  and  keep  Fairy-land  a  place  whence 
good  children  may  have  good  gifts  sent  to  them. 

207 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

The  Widow  Pickle  made  a  wish  which  after  all  was, 
under  the  circumstances,  perhaps  quite  as  practical  as 
any.  "This  looks  like  a  wedding,"  said  she,  "and  I 
have  not  a  thing  in  the  world  fit  to  wear.  Dear  me,  I 
wish  I  was  back  in  the  city  for  just  a  day  or  so  to  do 
some  shopping." 

Now,  as  they  all  finished  their  wishes,  they  looked 
about  them  upon  a  strange  and  wondrous  scene.  The 
sun  was  just  sinking  and  all  the  earth  seemed  as  though 
flooded  with  gold.  The  King  and  Queen  stood  hand 
in  hand  upon  the  steps  of  the  throne ;  and  near  by,  grown 
very  large,  was  the  Enchanted  Banjo,  swung  high 
between  two  tall  trees.  Birds  came  and  perched  upon 
the  strings  of  the  Enchanted  Banjo,  and  the  wind  blew 
leaves  across  the  strings;  and  as  they  looked  at  these 
things  the  Enchanted  Banjo  began  to  play. 

BALLAD  OF  THE  GOOD  CHILD 

When  little  children  have  been  good — 
As  all  good  little  children  should — 
It's  very  strange,  but  very  true, 
That  then  the  sky  is  bright  and  blue 
Until  the  sun  sinks  in  the  west 
And  then  the  stars  all  look  their  best 
And  something  whispers  far  away: 
"You  have  been  very  good  to-day." 

208 


THE  HAPPY  ENDING  OF  THE  STORY 

The  bees  that  hurry  home  for  night ; 
The  little  chickens,  plump  and  white; 
The  katydids — they  shout  the  word 
Until  on  every  side  'tis  heard ; 
The  crickets  hidden  in  the  grass 
Chirp  merrily  to  all  who  pass: 
'  'That  child,  in  study,  work  and  play, 
Was  very,  very  good  to-day!" 

And  when  your  little  prayer  is  said 
And  you  have  snuggled  in  your  bed 
And  when  your  eyelids  slowly  close — 
Why,  then,  oh,  what  do  you  suppose? 
The  bed,  the  chair,  your  clothes,  the  wall, 
The  turned-down  light — they  one  and  all 
Seem  glad,  and  speak  of  you  and  say: 
"You  have  been  very  good  to-day." 


Perhaps  it  was  the  wish  of  their  mother  which  brought 
it  all  about;  and  whatever  might  have  been  their  own 
preference  in  the  case,  of  course  the  wish  of  the  Widow 
Pickle  had  to  be  granted,  just  the  same  as  all  the  others. 
However  that  may  have  been,  the  facts  are  very  plain: 
when  Zuzu  and  Lulu  awoke  to  a  sense  of  their  surround 
ings  they  were  back  in  their  own  little  beds,  in  their 
own  little  room  at  home,  and  around  them  there  was 
no  court  of  Fairy-land,  nor  any  strange  forest  of  the 
distant  island  in  the  sea.  They  rubbed  their  eyes,  and 
stared  about  them  for  a  time. 

209 


THE  KING  OF  GEE-WHIZ 

"Did  you  have  a  funny  dream?"  asked  Zuzu. 

"Yes,    did  you?"   said   Lulu.     "I   thought   I   heard 


music." 


"Let's  talk  about  it,"  said  Zuzu. 
"Very  well,"  said  Lulu,  "suppose  we  do,  for  certainly 
it  was  a  very  beautiful  dream." 


2TO 


. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
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